Bad weather last week contributed to chimney damage and a possible fire, a homeowner said, but quick action by the Rayle Volunteer Fire Department kept the home from danger.

It was around 3:45 a.m. Wednesday, November 11, Cassandra Evans said, and "the wind was blowing and it was raining hard." Hearing a noise, Evans said she checked the house to find a smoke-filled room. "I immediately closed the door to seal it off from the rest of the house, dialed Wilkes County 911, and the Rayle Fire Department responded quickly."

Rayle Fire Chief Brent Sherrer said the wind had toppled over the metal chimney from a wood-burning stove, causing sparks to fly and a tarp to catch fire. "If it hadn't been raining hard, it would have burned the house down," Sherrer said. "We told her not to use the stove until it is fixed."

Rayle firefighters made sure the fire was out both in the chimney and on the roof, and that the stove was extinguished.

"Thanks to my neighbor Rodney Shedd, who is a fireman and was the first on the scene, it could have been a lot worse," Evans said. "Thanks to Brent Sherrer and Jake Buff; and former Oglethorpe County fireman Royzell Pitts who also assisted," she said. "This experience has taught me that even though our fire department may be small in numbers, we have the right team to get the job done."