An unclean chimney has been determined as the cause of a house fire that took place on Water Street in Baie Verte on Monday, November 16.

Volunteer fire crews from Baie Verte were on scene twice that evening. They responded first to chimney fire call at approximately 7 p.m. They put it out and a short time later, while firefighters were back at the fire hall cleaning their gear, they received another call that the same house was now on fire.

"What started as a chimney fire turned into a fairly serious situation," said volunteer fire chief, Billy Hewitt. "There was approximately $50,000 of damage done to the house. They lost their kitchen and the attic, and we had to cut holes through the roof and tear out the ceiling. There was also extensive smoke and water damage."

During their response, they were unable to see what was happening within the structure. The bungalow was sectionalized, making it difficult for firefighters to access the blaze.

"The chimney had split open inside the attic because the pipe was so hot. The chimney was very dirty, which is a common problem this time of year," said Mr. Hewitt. "We were there for five hours and left a crew there on watch overnight. The good thing is that nobody was hurt. The rest can all be replaced," he said.

Because electrical wires were burned, power to the home had to be cut. The occupants, a mother and daughter, were at home when the chimney fire first began and they are now staying with friends. There was no foul play suspected or negligence on part of the firefighters, so there will not be an investigation by the Fire Commissioner's office.

The fire took place on Water Street in Baie Verte Nov. 16. It took volunteer firefighters roughly five hours to extinguish the blaze. Contributed photos.

Firefighters observe the kitchen, which was heavily damaged by a fire that began in the chimney. The blaze occurred in Baie Verte Nov. 16.

An additional problem was identified that evening that has Mr. Hewitt and the other volunteer firefighters concerned.

"When one of the occupants called, they received the recording and hung up, then called back to the hall and, of course, didn't get an answer. Then they called the deputy fire chief who they knew, and he had to put the call in, to get the firefighters on it," said Mr. Hewitt. "We've had a lot of people doing this lately, and it's a problem."

Mr. Hewitt says that like other people, the occupant didn't realize how their communication system works in an emergency.

"Once you call and get the recording, leave a message and it will go directly to the firefighters. We hear it right away," he explained.

"A similar situation happened a week ago when we responded to a call from Ming's Bight about a car accident. The caller didn't complete the recording and say where on the highway the accident was, and we had to call them back. All of this takes away from the first 45 minutes of response time, in what we call the golden period.

"We hope to solve all that with the new communication system, which we hope to have by next week," said Mr. Hewitt. "With my pager-radio, I'll be able to talk right back to them, which will make a big difference. But they will still need to wait for the recording."