Fire!

Chronicle Staff

Published: Wednesday, February 25th, 2009

During the morning of Friday, Feb. 20, the Custer Volunteer Fire Department responded to a chimney fire at the house next to the Wedding Closet, right off Mt. Rushmore Road. “Several things can cause a chimney fire,” said Bill Bell, assistant chief with the Custer Fire Department. “The lack of maintenance is the first factor. The second factor is the type of wood used. Ponderosa pine is very common around these parts. If that type of wood is used to burn in a chimney and it hasn’t cured enough it has been know to start chimney fires.” A friend of Deb Carr, owner of the Wedding Closest and renter of the house, noticed the fire. “We were just about to start our morning walk when she noticed smoke billowing out of the chimney. I’m not sure who called to report the fire, because soon after the fire department showed up,” Carr said. After noticing the smoke billowing out of the chimney, Carr said she ran into the house and put the logs in the fireplace out.   When the Custer Volunteer Fire Department arrived at the scene, firefighters Brandon Mattson and Aaron Thompson moved to the roof and began pouring ABC dry chemical powder down the chimney. “The powder is basically what a person will find in a standard household fire extinguisher,” said Bell. “To avoid property damage we use the powder instead of water.” Bell went on to say that the main reason water isn’t poured down a chimney is because water turns to steam when it is poured down a hot chimney. When water evaporates into steam it may crack the chimney and the area around the chimney. “It was a blessing from God that nothing was damaged. All of the fire was contained in the chimney. It was a blessing, but a scary one,” Carr said. Carr said she was able to open up the Wedding Closest at normal time on Friday.  After 45 minutes the fire department finished it’s job. “They were all so fast at getting the fire out. My husband, Tim, and I are so thankful for the Custer County Fire Department’s speediness and efficiency,” Carr said. Bell would like to remind those with fireplaces or woodstoves to regularly clean them to prevent  creosote build up.