Mission firefighters snuff out chimney blaze

Mission firefighters snuff out chimney blaze

The fire at a Seventh Ave. home was quickly contained, limiting the damage

Mission firefighters could be seen walking on the roof of a home on Seventh Ave. this morning (April 11) as crews were called out to a chimney fire.

A call came in at approximately 9 a.m. about a blaze at a home located close to James St.

When crews arrived, they quickly established that the fire was inside the chimney and managed to contain it there and extinguish it before it caused further damage.

“What happens is they get plugged with creosote and what you need to do is poke it all and kind of get it loose. At the same time, we have a team down below to make sure those embers don’t go anywhere,” explained Mark Goddard, Mission’s acting assistant fire chief.

“So there is water above and water below and they just kind of send steam back and forth until we are sure it is out.”

Goddard said chimney fires are becoming rare, noting he hasn’t attended one for almost three years.

“We don’t do to many because people don’t burn as much wood as they used to. They do happen but because natural gas is so much more prevalent in homes nowadays, you don’t get them as often. When I first started we used to go to one every two weeks.”

Mission City Record