The shrill sound cut through the cold air. A second alarm joined it from upstairs, followed by a third from the basement.
Brenda's smile disappeared.
Daniel shouted again.
“Evelyn! Leave the house!”
The front door opened, and Evelyn emerged in a thick cardigan and slippers, coughing as she hurried down the steps. Daniel caught her arm and guided her toward the sidewalk.
“What's happening?” she asked, frightened.
“I don't know yet. Keep moving.”
Brenda stood frozen beside her SUV.
From somewhere inside the house came a low metallic bang. A moment later, smoke began curling from beneath the front door.
Daniel stared at it.
The concrete had blocked the chimney. If the heating system continued operating, combustion gases and smoke could no longer escape through their intended route.
He had installed multiple safety devices after Laura's death, including interconnected carbon monoxide detectors that transmitted alerts to an emergency monitoring service. He had never expected to need them this way.
“Call the fire department!” he shouted at Brenda.
She fumbled for her phone.
“I didn't know this would happen.”
“You poured concrete into my chimney!”
“I thought the fireplace wasn't being used!”
“You didn't ask!”
The dispatcher instructed Daniel to remain outside and confirmed that emergency crews were on their way. He stayed with Evelyn near the curb, keeping her warm with his coat while the alarms continued inside.
Brenda paced beside the SUV, repeatedly looking toward the roof.
“I was only trying to enforce the rules,” she muttered. “You don't understand how difficult it is to maintain property values when one person refuses to cooperate.”
Daniel looked at her in disbelief.
“An old chimney is more important to you than someone's life?”
She didn't respond.
Within minutes, the first fire engine turned onto the street, its lights flashing red against the white snow. A second vehicle followed, and firefighters moved quickly toward the house while another crew checked Daniel and Evelyn for signs of carbon monoxide exposure.
A firefighter approached Daniel.
“Who lives here?”
“I do. The woman beside me is my neighbor. She was inside when the alarm started.”
“Did you notice smoke or unusual odors before the alert?”
“No. I came outside and found the HOA president pouring wet concrete into my chimney.”
The firefighter looked toward Brenda.
“You did what?”
Brenda straightened her coat.
“There was an architectural violation. I was addressing it.”
“Were you aware that this chimney was connected to an active heating system?”
“I assumed it was decorative.”
The firefighter's expression hardened.
“You assumed?”
Before Brenda could respond, another firefighter called from the side of the house. He had discovered the blocked chimney and was examining the furnace exhaust arrangement.
“Captain! We have a serious obstruction here!”