Furnace cited in $200K Chapel Hill house fire

Firefighters said Friday that a basement furnace problem caused a fire that burned up through the walls in a home at 421 Deming Road on Thursday.

Firefighters from Chapel Hill, Durham, Carrboro and the New Hope Fire Department fought the smoky blaze in the three-story house.

Smoke and fire were showing when firefighters arrived. No one was inside at the time, they said, and no one was hurt in the fire.

It took crews almost two hours to get the fire under control.

Tax records show the house is owned by Timothy and Marilyn Smith and is assessed at $367,700. Firefighters estimated that fire, smoke and water did $200,000 in damage to the structure and its contents.