South Boundary firefighters save a Naples home

Firefighters on Tuesday saved a Naples home from burning to the ground.

“At one point, we didn’t think there was much hope in trying to save it,” said Tony Rohrwasser, fire chief for South Boundary Fire District.

The chimney fire broke out in a three-story tower of Bill Giffen’s home on Plantation Road, which is about one mile off Highway 95 near J.J.’s Cookshack.

Giffen’s alternative energy home is build into the earth.

“It looks like somehow the chimney runs up through and into the peaked roof (of the tower),” Rohrwasser said.

The initial call was for smoke in the tower’s attic.

“I ran directly out there, and when I got on scene, there were flames coming out of the attic,” Rohrwasser said.

Paradise Valley and North Bench fire departments were called for backup.

Fighting the fire was tough.

“It was a long hard haul,” Rohrwasser said. “The way the house is set up, there’s three stories above ground and then the attic. Then there’s another story underground. You’re four stories down from where we parked the truck. Our attempts to get water (on the fire) from the deck gun (didn’t work). There was too much of a distance.”

The fire eventually broke through the tower’s roof, and a firefighter was able to get to the top of the tower with a ladder.

Fire damage was limited to the attic. There was also smoke and water damage to the home.

No one was hurt.

Firefighters remained on scene for nearly five hours.