MONTGOMERY COUNTY, Va. – Multiple fire crews battled a house fire in Montgomery County Thursday afternoon.
A husband and wife live in the house but neither were hurt, according to Roanoke County Fire & Rescue Department.
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Roanoke County crews responded at 4:30 p.m. to assist Montgomery County crews with a house fire on Paris Mountain Road in the Elliston area of the county.
The first crew on the scene reported heavy fire and smoke, according to Roanoke County Fire and Rescue.
The husband was not home at the time of the fire. The wife was home at the time, but didn't realize that the home was on fire until her husband told her that their external chimney was on fire.
The wife then used a garden hose to cool the flue of the chimney.
“She certainly maintained the integrity of the home and she was cooling that flue pipe down," said Neil Turner, Montgomery County Services Coordinator. "I’m confident and made a difference in what was lost."
The fire took an hour and 45 minutes to put out, and 40 percent of the home was destroyed by the fire or water used to extinguish the blaze.
According to Turner, the home is a major loss.
Turner says the couple will stay with family nearby.