An Arkansas City police reserve officer, Joe Woodward, spotted a fire around a chimney flue at an Ark City residence Monday afternoon and was able to get the occupants out of the home before it spread to the front of the house, according to Ark City Fire Chief Randy Leach.
The one-story house at 1225 S. First is occupied by Shannon Elwell. The fire was reported at 1:30 p.m. “When we left the station, we could see the plume of black smoke boiling up,” Leach said. “Knowing the area, I was curious that it could have been one of the warehouse buildings.
“The entire front of the house was on fire when we arrived mainly due to the vinyl siding,” he said.
The fire started in an attic space between two ceilings because the wood stove pipe was not properly installed. It was too close to the wood, Leach said.
A similar problem occurred at another house recently and is not uncommon, he said.
Monday’s fire was primarily contained to the exterior and a portion of the interior. Firefighters were able to make a quick attack on the fire. Leach said about 90 percent of the damage occurred to the exterior of the home.
“Most of the personal items inside were salvageable although there was smoke damage to everything inside. There was not a lot of fire or water damage inside,” Leach said.
He estimated the damage at $20,000 and said firefighters were on the scene about two hours. Winfield firefighters also fought the blaze.
