Firefighters were able to quickly extinguish a fire that broke out Sunday evening at a home on Santa Barbara’s Riviera.
The blaze was reported shortly after 5 p.m. at a residence in the 1800 block of Hillcrest Road, according to Santa Barbara Fire Battalion Chief Robert Mercado.
The first crew to arrive found smoke coming from the chimney area of the single-story house, and discovered that flames from the fireplace had ignited surrounding wooden studs, Mercado said.
Firefighters determined that the flames had not spread into the attic, and were pretty much limited to the area around the fireplace and chimney.
No injuries were reported in the fire.
Mercado said it’s possible that, over time, the mortar from the brick fireplace had separated, allowing heat and flames to get to the wooden structural elements nearby.
With fireplaces more in use this time of year, Mercado reminded residents to keep a close eye for possible problems, and also to have them inspected periodically.
— Noozhawk executive editor Tom Bolton can be reached at tbolton@noozhawk.com. Follow Noozhawk on Twitter: @noozhawk, @NoozhawkNews and @NoozhawkBiz. Connect with Noozhawk on Facebook.