Firefighters from Island County Fire District 3 quickly extinguished a chimney fire on Heggenes Road about 8 p.m. Friday.

Deputy Chief Mike Cotton said it was only a small fire and was easily knocked down. No one was injured and the house was not damaged.

“It was some buildup of creosote. We helped extinguish it and advised them they needed to take care of it,” Cotton said.

“Chimney fires can catch houses on fire real easy if they’re not properly dealt with,” he added.

During the cold, blustery winter months on South Whidbey, chimney fires become more common. The danger is avoidable if the chimney is regularly cleaned and inspected.

Cotton advised that some smaller chimney fires can be easily solved. Throwing a glass of water onto the fire, closing the shutter and letting the water evaporate into steam is often enough for the fire to fizzle out.

“Most chimney fires can be solved with a glass of water,” Cotton said.

The New Year holiday weekend was relatively quiet for the fire district. There was a handful of medical calls between Saturday and Sunday, and a controlled burn was reported Monday.

“It was kind of a routine day,” Cotton said.

Through 2011, Fire District 3 responded to 1,890 calls.

“That’s pretty average,” Cotton said. “We average about five calls a day.”

By Tuesday morning, the fire district had responded to 12 calls in the new year.