Crews from Clay Fire were called to the 51000 block of Sussex Point Drive in Granger for a fire in the attic.

The blaze happened just before 8:30 p.m. on Friday, Jan. 1, according to Ron Melser Jr., Deputy Fire Marshal with Clay Fire.

Units arrived on scene within minutes to find the home owner attempting to extinguish the fire.

All three occupants were not injured in the fire. The fire was located in the cellulose around the chimney flue for the fireplace in the attic.

The investigation found that a fire earlier in the fireplace and with a chimney that had not been cleaned in a couple of years may have led to ignition of the cellulose which could have been preventable. With this fire comes the changing of the 5th red bulb on the “Keep the Wreath Red” program.

“Keep the Wreath Red” is a holiday fire safety program designed to increase fire safety awareness. Our goal is to keep the bulbs on the wreath red throughout the Holiday Season. In the event of a fire, firefighters replace one red bulb with a white one.

Clay Fire would like to remind the community that heating equipment is a leading cause of home fire deaths. Half of home heating equipment fires are reported during the months of December, January, and February.

Some simple steps can prevent most heating-related fires from happening is to have the heating equipment and chimneys cleaned and inspected every year by a qualified professional. Also, keep anything that can burn at least three feet away from heating equipment, like the furnace, fireplace, wood stove, or portable space heater.