A Zionsville family and their dog escaped injury when a faulty fireplace caused a fire in the home in the Sugarbush subdivision, Zionsville Fire Chief James VanGorder said Thursday.
A firebox in a first-floor fireplace developed a gap over time that allowed embers to drop to a utility room in the basement and start a fire, ZFD detectives determined.
A household member reportedly smelled smoke just before 6 a.m. The family evacuated on their own, according to Boone County Emergency Dispatch records.
Fire crews arrived within three minutes of being called and doused the blaze and rescued the dog, according to a ZFD press release.
The house sustained light smoke damage throughout and the preliminary damage estimate for contents and the structure is about $100,000, VanGorder said.