---

ATTLEBORO - Work done by a shady chimney cleaning company could have killed the homeowner, the city's building inspector says.

Building Inspector Doug Semple said Monday work done on the home of a South Attleboro senior citizen by a firm calling itself Up and Smoke Chimney was dangerous and unnecessary.

"The job they did never should have been done," Semple said. "The flue was in beautiful condition. They made it hazardous."

Semple said work done by the company that cold-called the South Attleboro customer, who speaks limited English, and gave her a "hard sell" could be lethal.

"This kind of installation could cause death," he said. The homeowner who hired Up and Smoke asked to remain anonymous out of fear of retribution from the company that she alleges made threats after she stopped payment on her $1,880 check when she became suspicious of the work.

The homeowner, a 62-year-old woman, became nervous when some of the flue connections were left incomplete.

In addition the firm's truck had no lettering and the worker, who identified himself as "Bill," did not keep a copy of the invoice, the woman said.

The worker also threatened to report her to the building inspector because of the condition of her chimney if the work wasn't done, she said.

"I'm double scared now," the woman said in an interview with The Sun Chronicle. "I can't eat, I can't sleep."

She said someone from Up and Smoke called on Labor Day and said workers would be in the area for a week and it would be her "last chance" to get her chimney cleaned.

She agreed to have the work done the next day.

But cleaning wasn't needed and nothing was wrong with the flue system, said local inspector Bill McDonough, who inspected the job on Sept. 17 after the woman voiced her concerns to Semple.

McDonough said the flue was spotless, and because it's connected to gas-burning devices, does not need to be cleaned. Gas does not leave the dangerous residue buildup that other fuels do, he said.

McDonough said Up and Smoke put a 4-inch flue inside an 8-inch flue. The flue was to be connected to three gas burning devises, but was only connected to two. The smaller flue inside the larger could have prevented proper ventilation and caused odorless and deadly carbon monoxide gas to build up inside the home, the inspectors said.

Semple issued violations to the company for failure to get a permit and failure to get an inspection. He sent them to an address listed on the customer's bill, but he's not likely to get a response.

The bill misspelled the name of the town in which the company is supposedly located, Abington, and the street address, 230 Jackson Ave., is phoney.

Officials from the Abington clerk's and assessors office both said the town does not have a road named Jackson. In addition, the clerk said the town does not have a business certificate for Up and Smoke Chimney.

A man who answered the phone number listed on the company bill said he would have no comment on the permit and inspection violations.

When asked about the phoney address, he hung up.

Another call was made to the phone number, which according to information found on the Internet is a cell phone number based in the Bronx, N.Y. No one answered, but a message was left with a request for the company to call The Sun Chronicle to comment on allegations the work was hazardous.

The Secretary of State's corporation division did not have a listing for Up and Smoke Chimney.

When Semple called Up and Smoke, a woman answered the phone and refused to give him the name of the person he should talk to, he said.

Semple said he notified the state Attorney General's Office about the shady behavior.

Meanwhile, the South Attleboro woman is stuck with a chimney she can't use and will have to pay someone to remove the dangerous modifications. A friend is helping her contact the city's Council on Aging for help.

COA Director Madeleine McNielly said the council can help the woman find a reputable contractor to help her.