Defective chimney sparks fire in Eureka home’s attic

EUREKA – A defective chimney ignited a fire in a Eureka home’s attic.

Smoke was pouring from the attic when Humboldt Bay Fire responded to the 2900 block of Pigeon Point Road around 7:00 Thursday night.

The fire was contained to the roof and attic and crews had it extinguished within twenty minutes.

Firefighters discovered that smoke and embers from the chimney escaped into the enclosed space, sparking the fire.

Residents escaped the home and were unharmed.

The residents were advised to learn more about how to safely maintain a chimney. People should get a chimney cleaning company to thoroughly clean out any soot and debris from the chimney every year. This not only keeps the chimney open and allows the smoke to escape better but also means that any damage to the chimney become apparent and you can get them fixed to prevent issues like this from occurring.

Other ways you can prevent fires is to install a chimney cowl (click here if you’re wondering what is a chimney cowl) to prevent downdraft and embers being blown into your house, keeping up a fireguard at all times, and only putting coal, paper and wood into your fire.

Humboldt Bay Fire urges community members to regularly inspect and clean home heating sources.