MIDDLEBURY — Middlebury Fire Chief Dave Shaw cited “improper disposal of wood ash” as the cause of a fire that damaged a home at Lower Plains Road shortly after midnight on Sunday, Feb. 10.
It was at around 12:10 a.m. that Middlebury firefighters were toned out to a reported structure fire — with possible entrapment — at 37 Lower Plains Road.
Once on the scene, Shaw sent two teams of firefighters into the home to look for a person initially believed to have been trapped inside. Officials eventually learned from a neighbor that the occupant had left the home and that there was nobody left inside, according to Shaw.
Fortunately, firefighters were able to contain the blaze to a kitchen in which a wood stove was located, Shaw said. Officials said they believe ash residue from a stove fire triggered the blaze.
With that in mind, Shaw is reminding those with wood stoves or fireplaces to properly dispose of ashes in fireproof containers that should be placed outside of the home.
Around 30 firefighters from Middlebury and Salisbury responded to the Lower Plains Road call, according to Shaw. Firefighters were able to leave the scene at around 3 a.m.
While the home is damaged, it is repairable, Shaw said.
Reporter John Flowers is at [email protected].
THIS HOME ON Lower Plains Road suffered damage from a fire in a kitchen with a woodstove. Firefighters from Middlebury and Salisbury responded to the call a little after midnight on Feb. 10.
Photo credit/Middlebury Fire Department