FREDERICKTOWN — Fredericktown homeowners Gary and Sandra Call had a close call with fire in their home at 12227 Armentrout Road, Monday afternoon.

Sandra Call said the wood stove in the living room of their home suddenly started a roaring, whooshing sound just before 1:30 p.m. She looked at the stove and saw flames around the collar of the pipe, where creosote in the chimney had caught fire. She said she ran out the door calling 9-1-1, and stood in the driveway waiting for help to arrive.

Fredericktown firefighters were on the scene in minutes and stopped the fire from burning through the chimney into the house. Using a thermal imaging camera, firefighters determined the fire had not spread. When they dismantled the chimney, they took out a big collection of creosote. Call told Fire Chief Scott Mast the chimney had not been cleaned in a year, but he was having it cleaned immediately.

A similar, but insidious, buildup happened recently in a home in Mount Vernon, where firefighters responded to a chimney fire. Mount Vernon Fire Capt. Dave Mills said it was quickly extinguished without damage to the home.

According to Mills, the homeowner had cleaned the chimney last winter. This fall, the homeowner started burning a small amount of wood as the weather cooled. There was a creosote buildup in the chimney because the fire did not get hot enough to burn it out. Then, when a cold snap came along, the owner stoked up the fire, and the extra heat set the creosote on fire.

Fire officials recommend regular chimney cleaning to prevent the buildup of creosote.