Liberty Township Firefighters were called to a residential fire along with mutual aid units early evening Wednesday at around 6:40 PM in the Papillon Estates subdivision off of County Road 200 West. Assistant Fire Chief Michael Wineland arrived on scene with nothing showing from the exterior portion of the residence. Occupants inside the structure were safe and evacuated with their pets on arrival.
Firefighters deployed on the roof near the chimney to check for exposures from a resulting fireplace fire in the chimney. While an interior crew cleared the fireplace from any further exposure by removing burning material.
Firefighters crawled throughout the attic using a thermal imaging camera checking for heat signatures that may have been exposed beyond the confines of the chimney.
An investigation of the fire resulted from a buildup of creosote in the chimney flue. It is recommended to use seasoned wood for burning inside a fireplace and to have the chimney cleaned by professionals annually. Seasoned wood burns cleaner and also produces less creosote deposits that typically will not result in clogged or reduced ventilation out of the residence.
