Staff Writer
PRESQUE ISLE – A fire believed to have started in a chimney caused considerable damage to a Washburn Road home early Thursday evening, as firefighters fought not only the blaze but cold temperatures. “We responded to the report of a fire at 19 Washburn Road at approximately 7:29 p.m. on Jan. 24. The initial call indicated it was a chimney fire. But when we arrived, we discovered the home itself was on fire,” said Darrell White, chief of the Presque Isle Fire Department.
White said the home, belonging to Robert Rossignol, had an assessed value of $40,000 and is considered a total loss. Officials determined the fire originated in the chimney area.
“Upon investigating, we determined the fire began in the chimney and spread from there. It’s an older home. There was no dead air space around the chimney – construction had two-by-fours right against the chimney. We eliminated human and electrical elements as being the cause. The fire and burn patterns indicated it began around the chimney, somewhere on the first floor,” said White.
According to White, the fire traveled through the first floor and up along the chimney to the attic.
“It was free-burning in the attic. The space was open in the attic, allowing the fire to spread freely,” White said.
White indicated the owner was using a wood stove in the basement to heat the building at the time of the fire. No one was home when the blaze broke out.
“Rossignal had just purchased the home in December and was in the process of doing some remodeling. There were no contents – personal belongings in the home except a few new appliances in the kitchen that hadn’t been hooked up yet,” said White. “The owner was lucky he hadn’t moved any of his belongings into the home and he did have insurance. No one was home when the fire started.”
Approximately 33 firefighters responded to the scene, along with Engines 2 and 6, Tankers 1, 2, 3 and 4 and Ladder 1.
“We received mutual aid from Easton. They covered the station for us for a bit, before switching firefighter duties with us to allow our men to warm up,” said White.
White said it was a cold night for firefighters but no injuries were reported.
