DANA POINT : Metal-Chimney Fire Damages Duplex

A fire sparked by embers in a metal chimney caused about $3,000 in damage to a two-story duplex, firefighters said.

A family living on the second floor of the house, on the 34000 block of Via Espinoza, noticed about 9:30 p.m. Monday that smoke was coming from their walls and called county firefighters, said Maria Sabol, a spokeswoman for the Orange County Fire Department.

Firefighters took about 10 minutes to douse the flames. Damage was contained to the second floor, Sabol said.

The family living on the second floor of the house was not displaced by the fire, and no one was injured, authorities said.

Sabol said the fire began because too much wood was being burned in the fireplace, overloading the metal chimney.

“These particular (metal) chimneys were not meant to burn a lot of wood in them,” Sabol said. “They’re usually small ones and they’re almost decorative, so don’t overload them.”