A CHIMNEY fire in danger of spreading at a Galhampton house was tackled by firefighters.

A crew from Castle Cary was sent to the scene, at Galhampton Hill, at around 11.15am on Tuesday morning (October 17) after a call from the resident.

“During the call it was established that the fire was possibly spreading to a built in cupboard area next to the fireplace, so the attendance was increased by a further two fire appliances from Wincanton and Shepton Mallet,” a Devon & Somerset Fire & Rescue Service spokesperson said.

“On arrival of the first crew, and after inspecting the log burner and flue area, the fire was believed to be out, as the owners had made attempts to extinguish it.

“However, after thoroughly checking with a thermal imaging camera, hotspots were found and confirmed that there were still hot embers and some fire spread to the lintel above the fire place.”

A specialist unit was used to access and spray a fine mist of water into the affected areas, the spokesperson added.

Advice was given to the property owners and a reinspection carried out later in the afternoon.

“After re-attending and being satisfied that the fire was out, advice was given to the owners to contact a professional to remove the affected lintel in the fireplace,” they said.

“Damage was confined to the lintel and chimney only and there were no casualties.”