Flue Fire Damages Pinckneyville Home

</element><element id="paragraph-1" type="body"><![CDATA[An 8:39 p.m. flue fire New Year's Day (Saturday) damaged the Darroll Marlow home at 4043 Nuthatch Road northeast of Pinckneyville.

The home is located west of Valier Carpet Road off Rt. 154 east of Pinckneyville.

Pinckneyville Fire Chief Jim Gielow said the vacation-style "A" frame home had been retrofitted with a wood-burning fireplace insert on the east side of the home.

Chief Gielow said a fire in the flue ignited the inside of the roof wall. In an "A" frame house the inside wall and the roof wall are the same.

Gielow said Mr. Marlow didn't notice the fire until the main room of the home began filling with smoke.

He said the fire began burning through the rafters next to the flue.

"It was not a large fire," said Chief Gielow.

Yet, it was very difficult to uncover and fight because of the steep roof pitch.

Firemen resorted to cutting two holes in the roof above and below the flue and tearing out a section of sheetrock around the flue.

"It was steep inside and out," he said.

Gielow said there was not a lot of damage to the house, just a mess.

"A lot of things can be saved," he said.

Flue fires result from two things: 1. creosote buildup in the flue itself, which can ignite when a fire is burning, and 2.) a breech in the flue or chimney itself.

Flue fires are a constant danger in winter and firemen remind wood burning stove and fireplace owners to check their flues regularly.

The Pinckneyville Fire Department was assisted by the Tamaroa Fire Department.