ST. GEORGE — An attempt to warm up a home in St. George resulted in a chimney fire Thursday night that drew out a small army of firefighters.
The St. George Fire Department responded to the fire in the area of East Morningside Drive and 850 East around 6:35 p.m.
St. George Fire Capt. Dan Cazier said the occupants of the home lit their first fire for the season, which ended up igniting patches of “build-up” in the chimney that hadn’t been cleaned out for a few years.
Cazier said such build-up is called creosote, a byproduct of burnt wood in a chimney that can catch fire if left uncleaned. It exists in three stages that range from a powdery ash-like substance, to hard, shiny black flaky bits and a shiny black glaze that looks like tar running down sides of the chimney.
“By the time we got here, (the homeowners) had climbed onto the roof and sprayed some water in the chimney and knocked (the fire) down,” Cazier said.
When the firefighters arrived, they checked the attic to make sure the fire hadn’t spread beyond the chimney and also put out the smoldering remnant of the fire after getting on the roof.
The chimney fire drew between four and five firetrucks and multiple firefighters.
The Fire Department responds to chimney fires periodically when the cold first sets in, Cazier said. The chimney fire on Morningside Drive was the second such fire they responded to that evening, the other occurring on 200 South.
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St. George firefighters responded to a chimney fire on East Morningside Drive. After the chimney fire was extinguished, it was determined the fire had not spread beyond chimney into the attic, St. George, Utah, Oct. 31, 2019 | Photo by Mori Kessler, St. George News
St. George firefighters responded to a chimney fire on East Morningside Drive. After the chimney fire was extinguished, it was determined the fire had not spread beyond chimney into the attic, St. George, Utah, Oct. 31, 2019 | Photo by Mori Kessler, St. George News
St. George firefighters responded to a chimney fire on East Morningside Drive. After the chimney fire was extinguished, it was determined the fire had not spread beyond chimney into the attic, St. George, Utah, Oct. 31, 2019 | Photo by Mori Kessler, St. George News
St. George firefighters responded to a chimney fire on East Morningside Drive. After the chimney fire was extinguished, it was determined the fire had not spread beyond chimney into the attic, St. George, Utah, Oct. 31, 2019 | Photo by Mori Kessler, St. George News
St. George firefighters responded to a chimney fire on East Morningside Drive. After the chimney fire was extinguished, it was determined the fire had not spread beyond chimney into the attic, St. George, Utah, Oct. 31, 2019 | Photo by Mori Kessler, St. George News
St. George firefighters responded to a chimney fire on East Morningside Drive. After the chimney fire was extinguished, it was determined the fire had not spread beyond chimney into the attic, St. George, Utah, Oct. 31, 2019 | Photo by Mori Kessler, St. George News
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