The attached news photo of a fire in a nearby town last night suggests to me that this was a chimney fire that broke through a shaky pipe and ignited the house. I don't know this for a fact, but it makes me glad we just had our chimney swept and inspected and we had very little creosote and not all that much soot. The house in the photo suffered an estimated $80,000 loss, according to the report, which said, "The fire originated in the area of the wood stove on the first floor and extended throughout the home."
