the fan on my 2007 mountaineer just stopped working. Where do I look first, and where do I locate the fuse for the fan?

The blower motor fuse is position #16 in the Power Distribution Panel under the hood. With the hood open it is on the driver's side between the battery and the firewall. The brake fluid reservoir is to its left and the fender is to its right. The fuse panel for the other circuits is located in the cabin just above the driver's left leg. I believe the fan motor itself is mounted to the firewall on the passenger side but I do not now if it is removed from outside the vehicle or must be accessed from the interior via some dash disassembly.