From ashes to fire: Fireplace cleaning leads to blaze

A Montana 40 West resident who underestimated the temperature of a box of ashes accidentally set the side of his home on fire shortly after noon Thursday.

According to Columbia Falls Fire Chief Rick Hagen, the occupant had just cleaned out a fireplace insert and put the ashes in a cardboard box, setting it outside the house next to the front porch. The ashes, however, were still hot and reignited, setting the side of the home on fire.

“It got into the lower part of the studs, and when we got there we had to take a chain saw and cut the wall open to extinguish the fire,” Hagen said. “There was a fairly significant amount of smoke in the basement area and in the main part of the house, so we had to ventilate the house.”

Hagen estimated it took about a half hour for firefighters to ensure the fire was completely extinguished and begin ventilation. He said the house should still be habitable.