Just one missing brick was all it took for a chimney fire to consume a Prince George's County, Maryland, home early Sunday morning.

A fire was burning inside a fireplace about 2:30 a.m. at the home on Braemer Circle in Fort Washington and the missing brick allowed the fire to spread, Prince George's County Fire Department spokesman Mark Brady said on Twitter.

The fire reached the inside walls and the attic, causing $200,000 in damages before firefighters quenched the flames, Brady said.

Photos showed what looked like a massive fireball come out of the top of the house.

The homeowner escaped unharmed.

Brady said the fire is a reminder for people to have their chimneys sweeped and inspected at least once every year. He said a sweep could have detected the missing brick.

"You need to have it annually inspected - before using it - by a certified chimney sweep because if you have any type of gaps or cracks inside the chimney, the fire could escape and become a house fire and this exact type of situation could occur, " Bryan Whitaker, president of Bethesda Chimney, told News4.

