Fire causes severe damage to Pocatello area luxury home
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POCATELLO — A luxury home east of the Gate City has been severely damaged by a fire that apparently started in the chimney.
The fire at the three-story house on West Buckskin Road was reported around 8 p.m. Saturday and did not appear to be under control until about 10:30 p.m.
The house was reportedly occupied at the time of the fire but authorities said no one was injured.
A Journal reporter on the scene said the fire was still burning after 10:30 p.m. but was clearly under control and firefighters were mopping up the remaining flames.
Although West Buckskin Road is adjacent to Pocatello, it is under the jurisdiction of the Chubbuck Fire Department who responded to the blaze.
The house has a very long, windy and narrow driveway that proved very difficult for responding fire trucks to navigate.
Chubbuck firefighters soon ran out of water and had to send their tanker truck to the nearest hydrant, which was three miles away.
The Pocatello Valley Fire Department’s tanker truck was dispatched to the scene so that firefighters could continue dousing the flames.
The Journal reporter who was on the scene said the fire appeared to be on the third floor of the house and on the roof. Flames from the roof jumped 10 to 20 feet into the air during the peak of the blaze.
Firefighters armed with hoses were inside the residence fighting the fire while other firefighters hit the flames with water from outside the home.
The house is located near West Antelope Road but its long driveway made it nearly impossible to see the flames from West Buckskin or any other nearby roads.
Reports indicated that the fire began in the chimney, but firefighters were busy fighting the fire Saturday night and couldn’t provide much additional information about how the fire started. Authorities did not release the name of the home’s owner Saturday night, but that information is expected soon.
The Journal reporter at the scene said it appeared to him that the entire house suffered smoke and water damage in addition to the fire damage on the third floor and roof.
Firefighters were unsure if the house is salvageable.
Fire units were at the scene of the fire through Sunday morning.
This article was originally published in the Idaho State Journal. It is used here with permission.