Contents of bucket spark blaze that damages Lacey home
A bucket, filled with the contents of either a cleaned out fireplace or wood stove, reignited and damaged a Lacey home Monday night in the 2500 block of 25th Loop Southeast, according to Lacey Fire District 3.
The fire caused about $5,000 in damage to the exterior of the home, Battalion Chief Tim Hulse said Tuesday. A neighbor noticed the fire and reported it, he said.
Fire crews were dispatched to the blaze about 9:30 p.m. Monday.
If you’re planning to clean out a fireplace or wood stove, Hulse offered the following tips:
▪ A chimney should be cleaned once a year, and preferably before it gets a lot of use in the winter.
▪ A wood stove should be cleaned out when the ash level reaches the level of the door.
▪ The contents of the fireplace or wood stove should be put in a metal container. “Just like a campfire, add some water, stir it up and don’t store it next to anything combustible,” he said. That includes next to a house or inside a garage, Hulse said.
▪ Do not clean out the fireplace or wood stove with a shop vacuum. Those have been known to catch on fire, he said.
“If the neighbor hadn’t noticed the fire, it could have been a lot worse,” Hulse said.
This story was originally published November 19, 2019 at 11:01 AM.
