Goodrich – It was a night to bake cookies, trim the Christmas tree and enjoy the warmth of a good fire’but for Rick and Tina Furness, the holiday bliss nearly turned disastrous.
‘We put an old basket on the fire to keep it going,? said Tina. ‘Rick was sitting back in the computer room when he heard a crackling in the fire that didn’t sound right. He looked up the chimney and saw that it was on fire.?
That’s when Tina said Rick ran into the laundry room, grabbed the fire extinguisher and blasted it up the chimney from inside the house. Tina said Rick looked outside at the chimney and saw that there was fire on top of the chimney and on the house so he went to the barn to get a ladder. Tina said she called 911.
‘My husband Rick is a master carpenter, so it was nothing for him to climb onto the roof to see what he could do,? said Tina.
She said as she stood outside watching the fire, her life passed before her, wondering if she should go back into her house to get some things.
‘I didn’t want to lose my home, and all I could think about was all of the pictures that might go up in flames,? she said.
The Atlas Township Fire Department arrived soon after the call. Tina said she couldn’t believe how fast the fire department got to her house and that it seemed like only two minutes had passed after she called 911.
‘I found out later the firefighters were having their annual Christmas party at Cranberries when they got the call,? said Tina. ‘It was amazing what they did, it was an experience of a lifetime. I think our town of Goodrich can feel really safe knowing how great their fire department is.?
Tina said the firefighters were amazed at how calm Rick was during the whole thing. Tina said he told the firefighters, ‘Why get in a tizzy??
The chimney was cleaned about two years ago, so Tina said the fire was unexpected. ‘I think it was the fire extinguisher that really saved our house, but the firefighters inspected everything to make sure the fire couldn’t start again,? said Tina.
‘I don’t know what would have happened if we didn’t have the fire extinguisher,? said Tina. ‘From now on, Rick said he is going to take a brush and clean the chimney every year in the fall.?