WILLIAMSBURG — Fire investigators say a house blaze that displaced two people on Monday was accidental and caused by combustibles too close to a metal chimney near the roof.
“It was a chimney fire and it started in the attic,” Jennifer Mieth, a spokeswoman for the state Fire Marshal’s Office said Tuesday.
Mieth said a state fire investigator estimated the property damage at 84 Goshen Road at approximately $120,000.
Meantime, firefighters were on the scene until about 8:30 p.m. Monday, sifting through charred materials and checking for hot spots, according to the Fire Department.
“There was a lot insulation that came down with the ceiling,” Williamsburg Fire Chief Jason A. Connell said early Tuesday. “We had to sift through that to make sure nothing was burning.”
The fire at 84 Goshen Road broke out late Monday morning and caused substantial damage to a single-family home owned by Keith Harmon Snow, particularly the roof of the structure.
The fire displaced Snow’s 2½-year-old son and the boy’s mother who live at the home, which was deemed uninhabitable by Building Commissioner Louis Hasbrouck. Nobody was home when the fire was first reported around 11:30 a.m.
In addition to Williamsburg, six other fire departments responded to the scene with mutual aid, the majority of them from the Hilltowns. The departments were on the scene throughout the afternoon.
Connell said one Williamsburg firefighter was transported to Cooley Dickinson Hospital to be medically evaluated and was later released.
The home, located off Route 9 was scheduled to be sold in early May, according to Snow.
Dan Crowley can be reached at dcrowley@gazettenet.com.