CAPE GEORGE — A homeowner wielding a garden hose doused a Christmas morning chimney fire caused by a burning wad of paper that ignited creosote in the flue, an East Jefferson Fire Rescue spokesman said.
No injuries were reported.
A fire engine, an aid car and a command unit responded to a 10:38 a.m. 9-1-1 call to emergency dispatchers from a neighbor who lives next to the house — about 20 feet away — in the 100 block of East Rhododendron Drive in Cape George Colony, fire department spokesman Bill Beezley said Tuesday.
The caller said flames were visible, said Beezley, an emergency medical technician.
“The flames were burning creosote higher up in the chimney,” he said.
When firefighters arrived seven minutes after the 9-1-1 call, the homeowner whose chimney was on fire was on the roof pouring water down it with a garden hose.
“The homeowner did the major work with the garden hose,” Beezley said
Firefighters applied a fire-suppression chemical to the chute to fully snuff out the fire, he added.
The house was occupied by a couple, and no children were present.
“The chimney was pretty occluded,” Beezley said, comparing it to a clogged artery.
Beezley recommended that homeowners hire chimney sweeps to clean their chimneys of creosote on an annual basis to prevent fires.
Senior Staff Writer Paul Gottlieb can be reached at 360-452-2345, ext. 5060, or at paul.gottlieb@peninsuladailynews.com.
