An improperly installed wood stove caused a fire Saturday morning, Feb. 21, in Edgecomb, according to Edgecomb Fire Chief Roy Potter.

No one was hurt and the house located at 687 Boothbay Road received minimal damage, Potter said.

Edgecomb firefighters arrived around 9:21 a.m. at Ned Weeks’ home. Weeks had started a fire in his wood stove Friday night. He awoke around 9 a.m. Saturday and discovered smoke coming through the floor.

Weeks went into the home’s crawl space and saw flames spreading across the cross beams, according to the fire report.

Edgecomb was assisted by the Boothbay, Newcastle and Wiscasset fire departments. The Wiscasset Ambulance Service also provided assistance.

The blaze was originally reported as a chimney fire, but firefighters determined a malfunctioning wood stove as the cause.

“It’s an older house with a lot of horse plaster around the chimney. That’s what saved the house,” Potter said. “The fire couldn’t get going because of a lack of air, so it just smoldered.”

According to the fire report, the flames were extinguished in a matter of few minutes. Firefighters tore apart three sides of the wall to extinguish the fire inside the chimney.

“The fire and water damage was significant near the chimney, but other than that, it’s in pretty good shape,” he said.

Despite the limited damage, Potter said: “The house was still livable, but Weeks has a considerable clean-up job ahead of him.”

According to Potter, Weeks is the house’s only occupant. The fire chief didn’t know if the home is insured.