For more than five years Matt and Jeri Trail of Nikolaevsk have responded to emergencies in the Anchor Point and Nikolaevsk area. Monday afternoon, however, it was their own home the couple battled to save.

“I believe it started in the chimney through one of the seams in the pipe,” Anchor Point Fire Chief Keith Sullivan said Tuesday. “The impression I got, and this is personal opinion only, is that there was a slight bend in it from a recent wind storm. It created a slight gap in one of the seams and the (fire) had a place other than out of the top to go.”

The Trail family, which includes Matt, a firefighter, Jeri, an EMT, and their six children, had a fire extinguisher on hand, but Sullivan said it “didn’t do anything, but make a mess.”

“The fire was a little too hot for that small of an extinguisher. The typical extinguisher people have in their homes is not designed to put out anything very hot or very big.”

By the time Bob Craig, administrator for the Anchor Point Fire Service Area, arrived at the two-story owner-built home, several firefighters from Nikolaevsk and Engine No. 2, which is stationed in Nikolaevsk, were already hard at work.

“I brought Engine No. 1 up from Anchor Point and by the time I got there, people were everythere,” he said of the firefighters. “There was a lot of smoke coming out from under the eves on the roof, so the fire was definitely up in the ceiling and rafters.”

The Anchor Point rescue truck, tanker and engine tanker back-up also were brought to the scene, as were both ambulances.

“We even had Homer come out and give us a hand with the mop-up. It was pretty well knocked down by the time they got there, but there was still smoke in the roof,” said Craig, who estimated the size of the home at around 3,000 square feet.

No family members were injured in the blaze. One firefighter was taken to South Peninsula Hospital with chest pains Craig suspected was caused by exertion.

Immediate shelter for the family was provided at Anchor River Inn, paid for by the Red Cross. By Tuesday, donations were already being collected in cans placed in some Anchor Point businesses.

Denise Ogle, secretary at Nikolaevsk School where two of the Trails’ children attend, said an effort is under way to determine the family’s needs.

“Eneryone is wanting to do something, so we’re trying to figure out the best, most efficient way to do it,” Ogle said. “All the (Nikolaevsk) kids are coming in today asking if they can donate. We’re trying to get a list together of what (the family) needs. We’re going to do something, but we’re not sure what.”

After visiting the site Tuesday, Sullivan said work is being done to remove what is left of the roof and second story, and cover what remains of the first floor.

“Obviously there’s smoke and water damage. The upper story is pretty much lost and what wasn’t burned is smoke-damaged, but there were some salvageable items,” he said. “The dressers in the kids’ bedrooms didn’t burn for whatever reason, but the master bedroom is completely burned out. Of course, that’s where the stove pipe runs through.”

McKibben Jackinsky can be reached at mckibben.jackinsky@homernews.com.