Fire chief in Dawson City, Yukon, urges residents to keep chimneys clean after fire destroys home

The fire chief in Dawson City, Yukon, is urging people to keep on top of cleaning their chimneys and woodstoves after a fire destroyed a home on Tuesday morning.

The house was located just off the Dome Road.

Fire Chief Mike Masserey said the call came in to his department around 11:30 a.m. Tuesday, and within 20 minutes firefighters were attacking the blaze.

"When I got there you could see very clearly the fire had started on the lower areas and had gone right up through the top," Masserey said.

Masserey said firefighters from the Dawson department, and the Klondike Valley fire department responded to the scene. He said they were joined by local water truck companies, and the RCMP to help support the crews.

Masserey said the fire started in the home's chimney. He said he spoke to the owner of the house who said they had stocked their wood burner before leaving the house. 

"When you leave a fire smouldered down, and [with] this morning's snow ... the chimney could block off and then cause a chimney fire," Masserey said.

"[If] you get a chimney fire and it's not looked after, the temperature can build up very quickly, like over a thousand degrees, and then go sideways through the house from there."

Masserey said because of where the home was located on the Dome Road, there wasn't a main water source like a fire hydrant to use — which created some challenges for crews.

He said trucks had to go and refill with water, and with the temperature that day close to –31 C, the trucks began to freeze up.

"Our water-supply trucks we had going back and forth, both those trucks froze up," he said. "They couldn't deliver any more water to us."

After three hours, firefighters had the fire under control, and eventually put it out. Masserey said there was nothing left of the home to salvage.

Nobody was hurt in the fire.

Prevention is the best measure

Masserey said it's absolutely essential that people make sure they're cleaning their chimneys or stove pipes on a regular basis. He recommends people do it at least once a month.

He also suggests using wood that's "nice and dry."

"Most people will dampen down the fire so it smoulders all night. And then in the morning make sure, when you're either adding to the fire or re-lighting the fire, that you do burn it really hot for a little while so it clears the creosote out."

Masserey said making that a routine could save property and potentially lives.

"You can replace a house, but not people," he said.