3 weekend house fires keep Austintown firefighters busy

By Elise Franco

AUSTINTOWN — Township firefighters were busy over the holiday weekend with three house fires between Thursday and Sunday.

Assistant Fire Chief Andy Frost III said firefighters extinguished a blaze in the chimney of a home on 2387 Birch Trace about 10:40 p.m. Sunday.

Frost said the fire was caused by a buildup of creosote, a byproduct of tar and sap from the wood, on the chimney walls.

“It happens when you burn green or soft woods,” he said. “There was so much that the opening was restricted to about 21‚Ñ2 inches.”

Frost said it’s a common problem, and cleaning the chimney frequently is the best way to avoid a fire. The resident was advised not to burn wood inside the fireplace until a chimney inspection was completed.

A fire on Christmas Eve cost another family a pet and nearly $50,000 in damage, Frost said.

He said firefighters were called to 6974 Backwater Cove about 5:30 p.m. after the occupants came home from church to discover the kitchen on fire.

“It looks like they left something cooking,” Frost said.

The fire spread above the stove and into the kitchen cabinets, according to a fire report. After extinguishing the blaze, firefighters discovered one of the stove’s burners was turned on high.

Frost said damage is estimated at between $40,000 and $50,000, and one of the family’s two dogs died in the fire and the other was badly injured and taken to a veterinary clinic.

On Christmas Day, just after 5 a.m., the department responded to a fire at 4900 S. Warwick Dr.

Firefighter Mike Maiorana said the fire originated on a chair in a back room of the home, where the occupant said she was wrapping Christmas gifts.

“She was up at 2 a.m., and she said she smoked a cigarette in the chair before she went to bed,” Maiorana said.

He said most of the damage was caused by smoke and totaled about $14,000.

Frost said no one was injured in any of the fires.

efranco@vindy.com