Waterville

Fire destroyed the second story of a Waterville-area home Dec. 15 and a man suffered minor smoke inhalation.

Kevin Kummer recovered without medical attention, and was outside his residence at 1300 Road 3 NW when firefighters arrived, said Douglas County Fire District 1 Chief Dale Jordan.

He said firefighters had trouble accessing the home because his driveway wasn’t plowed. After the first 10:40 a.m. call, the department called for a second alarm due to the access issue, and because only four volunteer firefighters were available from the Waterville department, he said.

Kummer had tried to extinguish the fire, which started in his basement.

But the fire crawled from the basement along the outside of a chimney to the second story of the home, Jordan said.

The chief said a couple of rooms on the lower floor were saved, but damaged by smoke. Firefighters were on the scene for about six hours.

He said he believes there was a woodstove in the basement, but the cause of the fire is still under investigation.

He said Kummer had done a lot of work on the home recently, including putting on a new roof. He estimated damages at more than $100,000.