Crime & Safety

Fire Damages Waterford Home

The Sunday night blaze displaced a family, members of which were home when the fire started.

A chimney fire Sunday night resulted in "significant" damage to a Waterford subdivision home and displaced a local family a week before Christmas.

Chief Scott Carter said the blaze at 492 Waterford Drive resulted from separation in chimney piping that allowed fire to spread to the attic.

Crews were called to the blaze about 9:45 p.m. and reported flames were showing from the attic on the left side of the home. A total of 12 firefighters battled the blaze, the department using both ladder and rescue companies. Crews were on scene through midnight, but had the fire under control "fairly quickly," in 30 to 45 minutes, Carter added.

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The occupants, at home when the fire began, are staying with family members, Carter said. They elected not to receive Red Cross services, according to Carter.

A smoke detector and family pet alerted the residents to the blaze, which Carter said caused "significant" damage to the attic and roof. The chief added firefighters through various tactics minimized damage to the lower level of the home.

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No one was injured in the incident, but area streets were closed as a result of the response to the blaze, reported.

Across , three other fires last week destroyed homes on Criss-Black Road in Cartersville, and in Kingston and Acworth, according to .

A Dec. 3 blaze in downtown Cartersville and stretched thin the capabilities of city fire crews. In addition to calling in off-duty firefighters, the city requested assistance from .

While the fire at the old Steins building was in nature, Carter said fire officials have noticed a "little bit" of an increase in the number of blazes.

"But that's anticipated this time of year" with families heating their homes in cold weather, Carter said.

In early November, his office issued a couple of warnings, urging residents to brush up on fire safety as the holiday—and cold weather—seasons approached.

The holidays—November to January—account for a larger percentage of residential structure fires than any other period, according to the department. and are two of the main causes.


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