As the investigation continues into Wednesday’s house fire at 505 Exchange, Emporia firefighters are using this incident to remind residents about certain aspects of fire safety.
Battalion Chief Bill Harmon says residents using wood as a heating source need to get their chimneys checked if they haven’t already done so.
Harmon also encouraged residents to be careful with all kinds of alternate heating specifically but also with heat in general. He says people should have their furnaces checked as soon as possible — again, if that wasn’t handled earlier.
Meanwhile, fire investigators continue looking into how the fire developed and it may now be next week before a cause is announced. Harmon says the fire was limited to the attic of the three-story house, but firefighters had to pull the second-floor ceiling to get it out. The chimney area was involved, but investigators have not determined whether that was the cause or origination point. The fire did not extend to the first or second floors, but there was smoke damage throughout the house. There was an estimated $15,000-$20,000 in damage to the house because of the fire.
