The quick action of a passerby helped firefighters save a home in Niles from being destroyed by a chimney fire Sunday afternoon, firefighters said.

New Hope Fire Chief Dennis Bell Jr. said a passerby saw a house fire at 4846 Rowe Road at 2:30 p.m. and called 911.

Nearly 45 minutes later, firefighters extinguished the blaze, Bell said.

Investigators believe the fire spread from the chimney into the walls, doing significant damage to one corner of the house, Bell said. Despite the damage, Bell said the house is repairable.

According to county tax records, the house is owned by Sara and William Hoskins.

"It looks like they were remodeling the home," Bell said. "From what I was told, the family is currently living someplace else so no one was home."

Bell said nine other departments were called to assist with the fire, and that no firefighters were injured during the incident.

"The fire looked worse than it really was," Bell said. "With a manpower shortage, we wanted to make sure we were covered. And because we are in a rural area, we wanted to make sure we had enough water. There was a stream near by but we wanted to be safe. We got (the fire) knocked down pretty quick."