Local firefighters made quick work of a chimney fire Monday morning, knocking it down before it could spread to a First Street home.
Salisbury Fire Capt. Andrew Murphy told The Daily News that the fire, reported around 9:30 a.m., was contained in the chimney and came as a result of a buildup of creosote in the chimney.
Creosote is a black or brown residue that can be crusty and flaky, tar-like, drippy and sticky, or shiny and hardened. It forms when wood is burned and unburned wood particles in the smoke produced by the fire cools as it passes through the chimney, leaving condensation on the walls of the flue lining.
“It was a very small fire. No damage to the property, no damage to the house,” Murphy said. “We used chains to chain the chimney to get the creosote that was built up to fall down into the fireplace and we extinguished it and that was it.”