A chimney fire Wednesday night did an estimated $20,000 in damage to a Clinton home on Bailey Road.

The fire began about 8:30 p.m. Jan. 15 after the home’s caretaker started a fire in the fireplace. South Whidbey Fire/EMS Chief Rusty Palmer said the chimney was recently cleaned, and the bricks may have been jostled and separated a bit near the ceiling. The embers may have caught the adjoining wall on fire, though the flames were quickly knocked down by about 20 firefighters, he said.

“It didn’t actually get into the structure at all,” Palmer said.

No one was injured.

Palmer noted that to date, the fire district has responded to more calls than it did in January 2013. So far, South Whidbey Fire/EMS has answered 100 emergency calls, compared to the district’s average of about 150 calls per month last year.

“We’re hoping that’s not a theme for the rest of the year,” Palmer said.