Northern Bruce Peninsula Firefighters are on the scene of a house fire in Tobermory this morning.
Fire Chief Jack Burt says they were called out to the fire at 40 Pedwell Drive at 3:42 a.m. Wednesday.
Burt says when firefighters arrived on scene they noticed the roof was on fire. “The original call was for a chimney fire, which had rapidly spread into the roof line,” says Burt.
He says two residents were in the home asleep at the time and were alerted by their working fire alarms. He says those alarms were also equipped with strobe lights. The residents escaped without injury.
He says fire damage was contained mainly to the roof, though the house also has water damage. The roof is still on the house but Burt says it has quite a few holes in it due to the way the fire traveled through the roof line.
Nineteen firefighters from Tobermory and Lion’s Head responded, using eight trucks. Pedwell drive is a fairly remote, narrow road, and Burt says they had to back their tankers back down the road to connect to the pumper truck. He notes they managed to draw water from the lake to help extinguish the blaze.
Burt says the chimney fire started when the wood burning fireplace with a B-vent chimney coming through the roof overheated and ignited wood paneling on the ceiling.
When asked how to help prevent a wood stove chimney fire, Burt recommends getting a ‘WETT inspection’ (Wood Energy Technology Transfer) from a certified wood stove technologist to ensure the stove is installed correctly and then making sure there is enough clearance around the wood stove vent so it doesn’t start another fire.
Burt says, “These smoke alarms literally saved these two people’s lives and highlights the importance of them in your home. Check your smoke alarms today.”
He estimates firefighters will be on scene for a few more hours, as they’re still putting out hot spots.