Constant Chimney Use Causes Fire in Sparta Home

Constant chimney use because of the power outages led to a small fire in a home on Signal Hill Trail in Sparta early Sunday morning.

According to Sparta Police Sgt. John Paul Beebe, the fire was in the chimney when it occurred around 1:30 a.m. The fire, he said, started as a chimney fire, and then got between the chimney and the firebox.

"It did damage to an upstairs bedroom," he said. "And there is heavy smoke and water damage throughout the house."

There were no injuries reported in the incident.

Beebe said the fire was extinguished, but the house is not inhabitable because of the smoke damage.

"The family cleaned out some belongings, and are waiting for an insurance adjustor," he said.

The chimney, Beebe said, had been used for many days because the family did not have power, and they were consistently using the fireplace for heat.

From there, Beebe said, the fire spread to the chimney and caused the incident.

"They been using the fireplace around the clock for two weeks because they had no heat," he said. "It was not designed to handle that kind of heat."