TAMAQUA - Firefighters made quick work of a chimney fire that displaced three people Saturday in the Dutch Hill section of the borough.
Firefighters worked for about 15 minutes to contain a blaze that was sparked by a wood stove at 1:19 a.m. at 317-319 Glenwood Ave., borough fire Chief Tom Hartz said.
The fire heavily damaged the second floor of 317 Glenwood Ave., Hartz said. Other parts of the home sustained water and smoke damage.
No injuries were reported, but the blaze displaced homeowner Kenneth Perpignan, his girlfriend, Tammy Blew, and a teenage boy.
The occupants are staying with family in Minersville.
No one was living at 319 Glenwood Ave., which was being used for storage, Hartz said.
Hartz said the family loaded up a wood stove before going to sleep and less than an hour had passed before a fire broke out in the chimney and spread to the walls.
"A wood stove caused it," he said. "They loaded it up and went to sleep. Not even an hour later, we got the call. Basically, it was a chimney fire that spread into the walls."
Hartz commended firefighters for quickly extinguishing the blaze, particularly since they could fit only one piece of apparatus into a tight alley near the home.
"They had to work from a block away and drag lines through people's yards," Hartz said. "It was a unique situation - an extremely tight situation."
Hartz said Perpignan was awakened after experiencing a "weird, dry taste in his mouth" and from the sounds of smoke detectors.
All borough fire companies responded, as well as Tamaqua Rescue Squad, Tamaqua Ambulance, borough fire police and borough police. Members of the Tamaqua Volunteers group were on scene providing hot beverages to firefighters.
Tamaqua Salvation Army and Schuylkill County Red Cross are offering assistance to the family. The Red Cross can be contacted at 610-865-4400, ext. 219 or email at Volunteer and Youth Services.
In addition, members of the Tamaqua Volunteers group have set up a benefit account to help raise donations for the family. Those wishing to contribute can stop at any Wells Fargo Bank office and donate to an account established for "Fire at 317 Glenwood Avenue in Tamaqua."
(TamaquaArea.com contributed to this story.)