PRESS PHOTO BY KYLE MERTL

Eastern and Western fire departments are called to a home at 1429 Garden Ave. Dec. 3 filled with smoke due to a problem with a pellet stove. Firefighters made sure the fire did not spread from the stove and removed smoldering pellets from the hopper. Crews cleared the house of smoke and checked for carbon monoxide, a deadly byproduct of combustion. A malfunction caused the fire to feed into the hopper where pellets are stored. The fire departments want to remind residents to have their chimneys, stoves and fireplaces checked and cleaned regularly to prevent fires and carbon monoxide problems.