A Joliet-area family will be homeless for at least several weeks after a chimney fire spread through the walls and roof of their house Friday afternoon.

The blaze at 1931 Heather Lane, just off Fiday Road near Essington, started at sometime before 3 p.m., according to Plainfeld Township Deputy Fire Chief Jon Stratton. A fire set in the home's fireplace is believed to have breached the chimney firewall and moved into the house's interior, he said.

The father and son, who were home at the time, reported hearing crackling in the walls that grew louder when they went to the second floor, Stratton said. When they smelled smoke, they realized it was a fire and evacuated with the family dog, he said.

Damage is estimated at $75,000 to $80,000, and Stratton estimated the family -- which also consists of a mother and another son -- will be displaced "through the holidays."

A neighbor who works with the Plainfield Emergency Management Agency said the family's church will provide them with vouchers to stay in a hotel. The home is located in a small area not far from the Louis Joliet Mall that is in unincorporated Joliet and part of the Plainfield Fire Protection District.