Volunteer firefighters from the City of Bellbrook and Sugarcreek Township fought a structure fire this morning that displaced three residents.

City of Bellbrook Communications received a 9-1-1 call from the resident at 132 Viewpoint Drive who reported a fire in his chimney. The dispatcher advised the resident to evacuate the structure and immediately dispatched fire equipment to the residence.

The alarm was dispatched at 1026 hours, and the initial assignment consisted of two engines, one ladder, one rescue and a medic. Viewpoint Command requested an additional engine from Sugarcreek Township at 1108 to assist with the incident.

Upon arrival, crews reported smoke showing from the chimney. When firefighters investigated further, they found smoke was also starting to show from the eaves at the rear of the structure.

An aggressive interior and exterior search revealed that the fire was contained to the area around the fireplace, but the fire had begun to spread up the roof and had charred several truss members supporting the roof. After opening up the roof and gaining access to the area from the interior, the fire was stopped and eventually extinguished.

Additional crews were assigned to move the resident's belongings and furniture was covered to protect it from falling debris and water damage.

Nineteen firefighters, including four from Sugarcreek Township, were detailed to the incident. There were no injuries to firefighters or civilians.

The fire caused $5,000 damage to the structure. An investigation is underway to determine the cause of the fire, but investigators are looking into wiring in the area around the chimney and fireplace.

Release F99-091-1