Crews pull double duty in Pinehurst house fire
Firefighters work from the roof to combat a house fire that had spread into the home's attic on Monday afternoon.
Courtesy photo
A Pinehurst home was severely damaged in a fire Monday.
According to Shoshone County Fire District No. 2 Chief Scott Dietrich, the initial call came in about 2 p.m. He said the blaze was fought on the backside of the home and inside the attic.
There were no reported injuries. It was unknown if anyone was home at the time of the fire.
The fire was believed to be extinguished that evening, with firefighters doing routine checks at the home. According to Dietrich, the home was rechecked at 10 p.m. and showed no signs of activity. However, at 2 a.m. Tuesday, crews were again dispatched to the home because the fire had restarted and spread quickly.
“This time when crews arrived, the entire second story was on fire with fire dropping into the first story,” Dietrich said. “It was determined it was not safe to have firefighters inside the house, so all firefighting efforts were conducted from the outside and the ladder truck.”
Dietrich said the fire originated from the home’s pellet stove chimney.
According to the Chimney Safety Institute of America, chimney fires cause more than 20,000 house fires annually in the United States.
“Due to the age of the home and past additions, it was very difficult to access all of the hot spots,” Dietrich said.
A damage estimate was not available.
Crews from SDFD No. 2, Shoshone County Fire District No. 1 and the Mullan Fire Department assisted with the fire.