COCHECTON, NY — At least four fire crews responded to a chimney fire on Lenni Lenape Road Thursday around 12 noon. 

No one was hurt, emergency responders said, and there did not appear to be damage to the house beyond the chimney. Crews worked to cut open the chimney, eventually slashing off its top half and letting it drop to the snow. 

The house is registered to Tina Martinez. Crews had the fire under control and no flames were visible by 12:30 p.m.  

Chimney fires are common during the winter, when people are using their wood-fuel fires most often. A Callicoon firefighter on the scene said they are typical this time of year, but his department hasn't responded to many lately. Slow-burning chimney fires don't get enough air or fuel to be visible and often go undetected, according to the Chimney Safety Institute of America. However, they can be just as dangerous and damaging as more dramatic or obvious fires.

Residue that sticks to the inside of chimney walls as smoke, water vapor and gases and other materials float up, is called creosote and can be  crusty, flaky and tar-like, or shiny and hardened. All of its forms are highly combustible, and without proper cleaning, can result in a fire. Firefighters said it wasn't immediately clear whether the fire Thursday was caused due to an unclean chimney.