A chimney fire spread to an interior wall of a Lippincott Road home on Thursday afternoon.

Cracks in the chimney helped fuel the fire at 29 Lippincott Rd. around 2:40 p.m., according to Little Silver Fire Chief Andrew Smith.

He said a neighbor noticed the heavy smoke building outside the ranch style house and alerted homeowner Gene Barkey.

"All of a sudden is just started getting smoky," Barky, who's lived in the house since 2005, told Patch.

"We've been using [the fireplace] nonstop since the storm," he said.

Smith said that wood burning fireplaces need to have chimneys cleaned regularly to rid the interiors of buildup, which can ignite.

Little Silver Volunteer Fire, EMS and police responded as did Red Bank Hook & Ladder, Rumson and Sea Bright fire companies.