Published: December 02, 2007 09:27 pm      

WATERPORT: Cause of chimney fire unknown

WATERPORT — A chimney fire in Waterport caused a road block along Route 279 for nearly two hours Friday afternoon.

The fire occurred at the home of William Mountain, 2331 Gaines Road, at 12:36 p.m., according to Sheriff Scott Hess. No injuries were reported.

The Albion Volunteer Fire Department arrived on the scene with an emergency medical team from Central Orleans Volunteer Ambulance shortly after the fire broke out. The Medina Fire Department’s Fast Team responded as backup in the event of a building collapse, said Albion Fire Chief Eric Bradshaw.

The exact cause of the fire is still under investigation. Bradshaw said the chimney was attached to a wood-burning stove in the kitchen and may have been faulty.

There was very little smoke damage throughout the home, because the fire was confined to the area around the chimney.

“We had it under control in approximately 30 minutes. It then took about an hour plus to do what we call salvage and overhaul,” Bradshaw said. “The chimney is still in tact. There is minor damage in the kitchen where the chimney is, as well as a small ventilation hole next to the chimney.”

When the first response teams arrived, the homeowner was safely outside waiting. Their initial concern was how far the fire had spread, Bradshaw said.

Each firefighter was given a task to ensure the body of the fire was knocked down as soon as possible. Captain Rob Conner was inside the home, and Deputy Chief Darryl Skzlany supervised the interior roof.

“When I first got there, we had smoke coming out of the eves, so I didn’t know how far the fire had actually extended,” Bradshaw said. “I had two crews inside doing actual fire attack. I also had crews opening windows in the attached part of the dwelling.”

Once the situation was under control, the firefighters stayed to remove all trash and debris from the home and to eliminate any hot spots.

As part of a mutual agreement with the Barre Fire Department, a pumper was sent to the Albion Fire Hall for additional fire protection while their fire trucks were in use, Bradshaw said.

The estimated damage cost was unknown as of Friday evening.

Contact reporter Nicole Colemanat 798-1400, ext. 2227.