Quick thinking contains KGB fire

KNIK -- What local firefighters suspect was a chimney fire at an eight-plex near Mile 7 Knik-Goose Bay Road Wednesday morning burned part of a wall and ceiling in one apartment of the building. The blaze could have done far more damage had it not been speedily contained, said Assistant Fire Chief Michael Keenan with the Central Mat-Su Fire Department.

"We were a matter of minutes away from having a pretty serious fire on our hands," said Keenan, who responded to an emergency call from Timothy Grinnell, the occupant of the unit, at around 9:30 Wednesday morning. Grinnell reportedly heard noises in the walls and suspected a fire.

Keenan and Tanya Hightower, another firefighter from Central Mat-Su, rushed to the scene. Keenan entered the unit and began fighting the fire while Hightower raised the ladder and established roof access. This quick action kept the fire from causing serious harm.

Despite the successful efforts of the pair to contain the fire Keenan said he quickly realized that more help would be needed and called for backup from the Meadow Lakes and Big Lake fire stations, which sent additional trucks.

Firefighters used a piercing nozzle, a hose with a sharp head and a wide spray area, to punch through the roof and access the fire in the early stages of the battle. Keenan described the device as a "portable sprinkler head." Once a wider access path was opened, more traditional firefighting techniques were deployed.

Keenan said the precise cause of the fire has yet to be determined, but he believes that the blame lies upon the chimney and pipechase in Grinnell's apartment overheating and setting the surrounding wood ablaze. The fire then spread to the attic, causing damage to the ceiling and forcing firefighters to chop holes in the roof to access the site and provide ventilation.

Grinnell said he had been using the wood-burning fireplace at around 11 p.m. Tuesday night, and Keenan said he believes the remnants of this activity could have kept smoldering well into the morning.

Keenan estimated the total damage at $50,000, and said none of Grinnell's personal effects or other possessions were destroyed.

Roughly 30 minutes were spent fighting the fire itself, and an additional two hours cleaning up the area and gathering information.

Keenan said chimney fires can be a threat in any home that uses a wood-burning fireplace, but only if that fireplace is not properly cleaned and maintained. Creosote, a hard condensate resulting from wood smoke traveling through chimneys, is highly flammable, and, if built up in sufficient quantities, can combust when coupled with heat and improper ventilation.

Chimneys should be swept professionally once a year or more to combat creosote, depending on what type of wood is burnt in the fireplace.

Burning unseasoned or green wood can also produce smoke that is cooler and stickier, thus promoting the buildup of creosote.

Contact Daniel Spoth at daniel.spoth@frontiersman.com.