Freeland chimney fire results in no injuries

Published 2:33 pm Wednesday, March 5, 2014

A “stubborn” chimney fire was extinguished Saturday night in Freeland without any injuries and little property damage, said a South Whidbey Fire/EMS official.

The 6 p.m. fire on June Beach Road, a small strip off East Harbor Road, took two hours to quell. Neither of the two occupants were harmed.

“It was a typical, run-of-the-mill chimney fire that was just a stubborn one,” said Paul Busch, assistant chief of South Whidbey Fire/EMS.

“It just didn’t want to go out and we didn’t want to leave until we were sure it was out.”

“The people were going to trade out that wood stove anyway,” he said.

The chimney was built on the exterior of the cabin, said Busch, which made it easier for them to contain and fight the blaze with a fine spray of water rather than soaking it with a blast.

“This cabin was small enough that if it was fully engulfed we could have put it out with a single engine,” he said.

Busch recommended that, once the winter season ends and temperatures rise, people have their chimneys inspected and cleaned to avoid any material buildup that could catch fire.