HANTSPORT, N.S. — When a passerby saw heavy, black smoking coming from the chimney of an unoccupied home on School Street in Hantsport, they were quick to alert 911.
About 18 Hantsport firefighters attended the lunchtime call on Feb. 23.
“It was upgraded to a structure fire when the chief arrived on scene. There was smoke in the basement and throughout the house,” said deputy fire chief Paul Maynard in a phone interview.
Automatic aid protocols kicked in due to the nature of the call, with the Brooklyn Fire Department providing stand-in support at the Hantsport station.
“Once we gained access to the basement, we determined it was actually a flooded furnace. The excess oil had caught fire and caused a fire in the furnace, which was contained to the furnace,” he said, noting that firefighters had the situation under control within 10 minutes.
Maynard said firefighters aired out the building, but the home sustained smoke damage.
“It was an oily type of smoke so it sticks to everything. I’d say there’s a significant amount of smoke damage as a result — but no fire damage. That was all contained to the furnace,” Maynard said.
The homeowners arrived as fire crews were finishing up at the scene. It is unknown at this time if they had house insurance.
There were no injuries reported.
