Soap Lake home saved from chimney fire

No injuries

SOAP LAKE - A chimney fire at a residence in Soap Lake burned part of the structural area around the chimney Tuesday.

The home on Hemlock Street South was saved, but it will need repair because of fire damage and from firefighters using axes to reach the fire, said Ephrata Fire Battalion Chief Kyle Foreman.

Chimney fires are typically caused by chimneys not being maintained and cleaned regularly, he said. Chimneys should be inspected and cleaned annually, he said.

"It's a typical seasonal hazard," Foreman said.

He said it was his understanding the homeowner discovered smoke in the home and called 911. Ephrata Fire Chief Jeremy Burns confirmed the homeowner reported the fire.

The woman and her adult daughter living there were able to return to the home after the fire was put out, Burns said. No one was injured in the fire, he said.

Firefighters from the Soap Lake and Ephrata Fire Departments and Grant County Fire District No. 7 responded about 5 p.m. and left the scene about 6:15 p.m.

Burns said firefighters spent a lot of time cutting open the wall and removing the fiber board around the wood structure, the framing and the studs, he said.

If the removal had not happened, the fire would have continued to pyrolyze and burn, he said.