Nothing like having 30 fireman going in and out of your hose for 4 hours, I don’t know what caused more damage, the fire or the fix. I was not at Vicenza but I know some Buds from the 173rd Abn. that were, Said it was a great post one of the best to be stationed at.
..... Sorry about your fire. Used to be a product you could toss in the wood stove or fireplace that would extinguish a chimney fire. Like a manufactured log ya threw in and it killed the fire or smothered / starved it of air.....
can’t remember the name of the ones we used to have but found these so you can see the concept. May have to snag a few for myself just in case.
http://www.chimfex.us/about-chimfexr.html
Stay Safe !!