A Christmas day fire that destroyed a West Tisbury home in Deep Bottom started in a chimney, a Dukes County fire investigation team has concluded.

“We know where it started, we just don’t know how it started,” fire investigator James Rogers told the Gazette on Thursday. He said investigators have ruled out foul play.

“There’s no indication that it was other than accidental,” Mr. Rogers said.

The fire started in a wooden chimney chase, an architectural feature that covers the exterior section of the metal flue.

“There’s a whole bunch of things that could go on there; it was a metalbestos chimney going up through there, also the gas burners appeared to be running through there although we don’t know that for sure because that area was too badly damaged, but we do know that that’s where the fire started based on photos that were taken by people that discovered the fire and by subsequent examination,” Mr. Rogers said.

The house on South Pond Road in the Deep Bottom subdivision is owned by Dr. Deeb N. Salem, a cardiologist and chairman of the Department of Medicine at the Tufts University School of Medicine, and his wife, Patricia Salem, of Lincoln and West Tisbury. At the time of the fire the Salems were on-Island and visiting relatives just down the road. The family dog was at home and died in the blaze. Firefighters worked from just after 10 p.m. on Christmas night until the next morning battling the fire.

“Part of the garage is still standing but other than that there is nothing left of the building,” Mr. Rogers said.

The fire was one of the first big investigations for the recently-formed county fire team which includes firefighters and police officers from each town.

Current team members include Mr. Rogers, who also serves as the Tisbury assistant fire chief, Peter Marzbanian, Tony Ferrara, Scott Ellis and West Tisbury police officer Matt Mincone, who was one of the first on the scene with his colleagues.

“They were able to be involved with the investigation while the fire was still burning and that’s one of the concepts of the team,” Mr. Rogers said.

He added: “The good news is we don’t have a lot of fires so the team hasn’t had a lot of practice. We’d like to keep it that way.”