Boone County residents out of home, but safe after fire breaks out in chimney overnight

UPDATE 8:23am: A spokesperson for the Boone County Fire Department estimates the damage to be around $10,000.

UPDATE 4:23am: Several emergency units are on the scene of a structure fire in central Boone County.

Our ABC 17 News crews say they do not see any flames or smoke coming from the home, but say firefighters have ladders up near the chimney. They also say they see lots of insulation on the ground around the home.

Firefighters tell ABC 17 News the fire started in the chimney and say it was likely caused because the people who lived there had a fire burning last night.

Firefighters say two people were home at the time of the fire, but say smoke alarms alerted them to smoke. They were able to evacuate safely and call for help.

Fire officials tell ABC 17 News the residents can not return to the home today and say the home did sustain some damage. They did not have any information on a damage estimate but say they believe repairs are possible.

ABC 17 News also asked firefighters about the types of fires they see in the winter months. They say the do not necessarily see more fires, but say the types of fire are different. Firefighters say they commonly see fires from unattended cooking and from wood-burning stoves and chimneys.

ORIGINAL: Emergency crews are responding to a reported structure fire in central Boone County Thursday morning.

Firefighters were called out to 600 West Bethel Drive just before 3:30am.

Dispatch records show at least 11 emergency units are responding.

ABC 17 News had heard reports of smoke in a home in the area.

ABC 17 News has a crew on the way to the scene right now working to find out if flames or smoke is showing and if anyone was hurt. We’ll update this story as we confirm more details.