While making school lunches a mother went into her Malden Rd. garage to grab some juice boxes, but found the refrigerator on fire.
She called 9-1-1 at 7:59am and LaSalle fire crews arrived in the 8400-block moments later.
The first was quickly extinguished and caused under $5,000 damage.
Fire officials say if the refrigerator motor had burned out in the middle of the night, it would have ended much differently.