Burbank house fire caused by faulty chimney, official says

Burbank fire officials have determined that a house attic fire on Tuesday originated from a faulty fireplace, causing roughly $60,000 in damage, authorities said.

Of those damages, roughly $50,000 was structural and $10,000 in possessions, said Burbank Fire Capt. Peter Hendrickson.

Firefighters responded to the two-story house in the 500 block of Stanford Road two minutes after a neighbor reported smoke coming from the home at 11:28 a.m.

“It didn’t take too long to knock it down,” Hendrickson said Tuesday.

To avoid faulty fireplace fires, homeowners should have their fireplaces cleaned and examined by chimney sweeps each year, Hendrickson added.

-- Alene Tchekmedyian, Times Community News

Follow Alene Tchekmedyian on Google+ and on Twitter: @atchek.