REPORTER STAFF

A chimney fire erupted and destroyed a 6,000-square-foot home in the 25200 block of Northeast 108th St. New Year’s Eve night, according to Redmond Fire Department Lt. Ken Burnside.

Firefighters responded to the call around 11 p.m. and battled the fire for nearly three hours, said Burnside, the acting battalion chief the night of the fire. The blaze was so overwhelming, firefighters could not enter the home, which was unoccupied at the time of the fire, Burnside said.

“It was significant in terms of size,” Burnside said.

Burnside said the owner was out of the country and that it was being rented by a man who returned home around 2:30 a.m. on New Year’s Day to find his residence destroyed by the powerful flames.

“He came home to find quite a fiasco,” said Burnside.

King County is still investigating the official cause of the fire, but Burnside said the fire erupted in a lit wood stove and caught the chimney and attic on fire and then spread quickly throughout the house.

“That’s why it is real important to do regular maintenance checks on your wood stove and chimney,” Burnside said.