Small Fire in Blue River Home

Friday, April 06, 2007 - Breckenridge, CO

At approximately 7:30 p.m. Thursday evening, Red, White & Blue Fire District was called to a fire at 91 Twilight Trail in Blue River.

When firefighters arrived on scene, they noticed light smoke coming out from around the chimney. The house’s occupants stated that they had started a fire in the fireplace that evening. Shortly after starting the fire, they noticed smoke coming out from the wall upstairs in the closet. They threw water into the fireplace on the first floor, extinguishing the fire. They then called 9-1-1 and went outside to wait for the fire department.

Firefighters entered the home, and observed light smoke but no fire. Using their thermal imaging camera, they located the source of the fire within the wall just above the mantle area of the fireplace. They removed a section of the wall and found the charred studs above the mantle. The studs were cooled with water, preventing further spread of the fire. All walls surrounding the fireplace were checked with the thermal imager.

Fire Investigator Lt. Jay Nelson said that the fire was caused by "an improperly installed or maintained fireplace, causing long-term charring of the studs above the fireplace". The wood-frame house was built in 1972 and is approximately 1300 square feet. A nonfunctioning fire alarm system was in place at the time of the fire. Damage was minimal and the occupants were allowed to return to the home.

Red, White & Blue reminds residents and homeowners to have their chimneys cleaned at least annually; more frequently if the fireplace is used as a primary source of heat for the home. Smoke detectors should be installed and tested regularly. Folks are encouraged to have at least one fire extinguisher in their homes.

"The occupants did the right thing by calling 9-1-1 and then leaving the house immediately," said Captain Kim Scott. "The fire was unseen behind the wall and we were
able to minimize the damage to the house using our thermal imaging camera to detect the heat buildup," she said.

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Press Contact:
Capt. Kim Scott, PIO
cell: 970.485.4374
email: .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)

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