Accumulation of creosote causes two chimney fires

A build up of creosote ignited and caused two chimney fires last week due to high temperatures emitting from wood stoves.

The first chimney fire occurred on Jan. 28 at a residence on Fram St., and the second one was in a three-story building in the airport subdivision behind Hammer and Wikan Grocery Store on Jan. 30. Both fires occurred in the evening hours and were extinguished in less than an hour by the Petersburg Fire Department.

“Generally, I think we get more [chimney fire calls] in the evening because people are coming home and are stoking up their stove for the night and they turn it u...