Ann Arbor firefighters extinguish blaze above home's fireplace
Ann Arbor firefighters put out a blaze Sunday afternoon that started in a wall above a home's fireplace.
Ann Arbor firefighters responded at 4:11 p.m. Sunday to a home in the 2000 block of Steeplechase Drive, according to a statement. When they arrived, firefighters found smoke on the first floor and a fire in the wall surrounding the home’s fireplace.
According to firefighters, the homeowner had a fire in the fireplace on Saturday night. When firefighters opened up the wall above the fireplace, they found 2x4 and 2x8 pieces of wood ablaze in the wall.
The fire was extinguished and firefighters had to remove the interior of the wall to look for more fire. The damage was limited to single wall and the fireplace in the family room. There was no damage estimate available Monday morning.
According to firefighters, the cause appears to be related to the fireplace or firebox. The exact cause is still under investigation.
No one was injured in the fire. Firefighters wish to remind anyone with a fireplace and chimney in their home to have them checked and cleaned.
Kyle Feldscher covers cops and courts for AnnArbor.com. He can be reached at kylefeldscher@annarbor.com or you can follow him on Twitter.
Comments
justcurious
Mon, Jan 21, 2013 : 3:52 p.m.
Anyone who has a wood burning fireplace or stove should have it cleaned and inspected yearly. If you move into a home with one, do not assume that it was installed properly or that it has been maintained. Chimney fires are very scary things. They WILL burn your house down. If you are a renter, make sure that you have an inspection before using it. Don't burn paper or other items in it. Don't burn unseasoned wood. Wood should be seasoned for a minimum of six months. With the high costs of fuel now, many people are using wood burning units. The (at least) three recent incidents with stoves and fireplaces have shown us that to ignore safety is foolhardy.
LA
Tue, Jan 22, 2013 : 12:46 p.m.
what's wrong with burning paper?
tomnspats
Mon, Jan 21, 2013 : 3:22 p.m.
Thank you AAFD another job well done.
Dog Guy
Mon, Jan 21, 2013 : 3:20 p.m.
We put a ventless gas log unit in our fireplace. Although it doesn't snap, crackle, and pop sparks onto our rug and the nostalgic aroma of wood smoke no longer permeates our home and our neighbors' homes and we don't have to open windows to feed the fire or stay up late to tend the fire danger and we no longer haul in wood and the insects living in it nor haul out ashes, the fireplace is now a useful damper-sealed source of heat when the power is out--as it is now.
Dog Guy
Mon, Jan 21, 2013 : 5:20 p.m.
I could, LincolnSchoolMom, remove the gas unit and pipe in about an hour if both gas and electric were out, but a wood fire in my fireplace is a net heat loss. The builder of my house apparently was absent when Benjamin Franklin's stove was covered in sixth grade.
LincolnSchoolMom
Mon, Jan 21, 2013 : 3:50 p.m.
I have one of these gas log fireplaces, and they are very convenient. However I worry about a prolonged blackout and the lack of a real fireplace to heat our house and cook food without the modern conveniences. On the other hand, it has not happened in ten years (and I am including the Niagara blackout, it was in the summer and we were just fine without a fireplace). Still such complete dependence on electricty and gas supply seems somewhat imprudent.