Quick action by Penhold firefighters put out a potentially destructive residential fire.
At about 8 p.m. on Dec. 17 Penhold fire crews responded to a household fire on Dec. 17 on Bouteiller Close.
“There were no injuries, and our crew had the fire under control within minutes of arriving on site,” said Penhold fire Chief Jim Pendergast.
He said the fire was determined to be in a wood stove and chimney that were being used at the time.
“There was some damage to the wood stove and to the roof around the chimney,” said Pendergast. “We had to use water and foam to extinguish the fire. Our thermal equipment was used to identify the source of the fire, as the initial temperature of the house was over 150 degrees Celsius.”
Fire crews remained on site until the house temperature returned to normal and smoke was cleared from the house. Damage was estimated to be around $5,000.
The cause of the fire was a buildup of soot and byproducts of wood burning completely blocking the chimney.
Pendergast said it was important to remind citizens to have their furnaces, fireplaces and chimneys serviced for the winter.
"This is a success story,” said Pendergast. “There were no injuries and the situation was quickly brought under control by the firefighters. The result could have been far more serious. The people in the house did the right thing by calling 911 right away and evacuated to the outside."
Neighbours, who had stopped by reported smelling smoke, and were relieved that the fire was very minimal.
Pendergast was pleased with the performance of his crews, which included 14 firefighters from four units. “Our first crew responded within five minutes of the 911 call, and quickly had everything under control. All our training and drilling has paid off.”
