Firefighters respond to a chimney fire at a Richmond home Tuesday morning. Courtesy of Richmond Fire Department
RICHMOND — Firefighters from five departments extinguished a chimney fire at a Lincoln Street home Tuesday morning.
The homeowners made it out of the house safely, and no injuries were reported in fighting the fire.
The incident serves as a reminder of the importance of ensuring chimneys have been cleaned and inspected as temperatures drop and wood stoves see more frequent use.
Richmond Fire Chief Steve Caswell said firefighters were able to extinguish the fire without it spreading from the chimney into the home at 6 Lincoln St. Town tax records indicate the one-and-a-half-story home is owned by Leslie and Christine Waltz.
Firefighters from Richmond were joined, in response to a call for mutual aid, by firefighters from Gardiner, Dresden, Bowdoinham and Woolwich.
Caswell said he arrived on the scene of the fire, which was reported at 5:57 a.m. Tuesday, to see “two to three-foot flames coming out of the chimney.
“I notified dispatch, confirmed it was a chimney fire and requested some more mutual aid,” he added.
Firefighters used ladders to access the home’s roof, putting out the fire and clearing a blockage in the chimney, while other firefighters entered the home, walking through and making sure no one was still inside.
Caswell said Tuesday morning’s cold temperatures made fighting the fire more challenging. Firefighters were on the scene for about two hours, and temperatures were in the single digits until about 8 a.m., according to the National Weather Service.
“It was a good stop — we’re just glad it worked out the way it did and they were able to return home,” Caswell said of the homeowners.
Caswell said the homeowners were advised to have the chimney cleaned and inspected before it is put back into use. Other than that, the home remains habitable. He said it was unknown when the chimney had last been cleaned.
The Office of the State Fire Marshal advises people who burn wood for heat to have their chimneys inspected annually by a certified chimney sweep and experts recommend chimneys be cleaned every year.
Caswell also advises that residents with monitor heaters make sure their vents are cleared.
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