The Crookston Fire Department responded to a chimney fire shortly before 6 p.m. on Tuesday at 234 Houston Avenue. The home is owned by Jon and Jo Bittner.
Crookston Firefighter Bob Magsam said the fire department was able to put the fire out from above. “The report from dispatch was there was active fire coming from the chimney,” said Magsam. “Upon arrival, we confirmed that there was fire coming from the chimney itself. Our plan of attack was to get on the roof and basically put that fire out with fire extinguisher powder through the chimney. After we felt we extinguished the fire we did a thorough check of the complete home with our thermo-imaging camera to verify. Thank goodness, luckily, there was no extension further into the home. We had to clear some smoke out, so we do have minor smoke damage in the home along with our extinguisher powder. But they should be able to stay in the home tonight.”
Magsam said the fire resulted from lighting a normal fire. “The homeowner reported they started a fire just like they always do in their fireplace in the home,” said Magsam. “It looks like a normal fire in the fireplace and for some reason, we ended up with an internal fire in the chimney.”
