OxfordPress.com

LIBERTY TWP. — Firefighters quickly extinguished a blaze at 5855 Country View Drive in Liberty Twp., this morning, Jan. 12, that officials said was likely caused by smoldering ashes from a wood-burning fireplace.

The fire that was reported at approximately 10:40 a.m. Monday was extinguished by 11:10 a.m., leaving wisps of smoke curling up from the charred remnants of a car — an early 1990s Buick — in the home's destroyed garage.

No injuries were reported, according to fire officials. But the homeowner was home and smelled smoke before the fire was called in by a neighbor.

Liberty Twp. fire crews took charge of the scene with help from the Fairfield Twp. Fire Department.

Damage to the two-story Tudor appears to be centered in the garage and room above it. Other portions of the home received smoke and some fire damage that will push the total cost past the $50,000 mark, according to Liberty Twp. Fire Chief Paul Stumpf.

Stumpf said the homeowner said he dumped ashes in a plastic garbage can in the garage, and "that's consistent with the point of origin."

The American Red Cross showed up the help the owners of the home, which is registered to Dorothy Hischemiller, according to the Butler County Auditor's Office Web site. The site says the home was recently reassessed at $212,800.

Stumpf said the couple will likely be living temporarily with friends and relatives because the home is uninhabitable.

Liberty Twp. resident Mike Wheeler said he could see smoke and flames billowing from the home as he was driving down Country View Drive at approximately 10:45 a.m.

He immediately called 911, and told dispatchers he was going after the homeowner.

"As soon as I got to the front door, he came busting out," Wheeler said. "The whole garage was going. I was scared to even go up there, believe me."

Wheeler said the homeowner told him he was at home by himself in the basement when he smelled smoke and head for the front door.

He said the homeowner open the front door a second time to let his small white dog out, which took off up the street.

"I took off running for it," Wheeler said of the dog. "We finally got him."

Stumpf said there are many precautions to take when emptying ashes of any kind.

"Often you'll think they're cold, but just a little bit of an ember hiding down there, in the right conditions, can reignite," he said. "Any kind of ashes ... Put them in a metal container and leave them outside away from any structure for several days. Or submerse them in water."

Stumpf also said residents using wood burning fireplaces should have them checked regularly by a certified chimney sweep.