Two house fires within 12 hours in Coolspring Township kept Mercer-area firefighters busy Monday and Tuesday.

Malfunctioning woodburners likely are the cause of the fires at 432 W. Cornell Road and 269 N. Perry Highway, said Mercer East End Chief Bill Finley.

The Cornell fire was called in at 12:05 p.m. Monday, when Richard Fox went home for lunch and discovered it, Finley said. Firefighters saw flames on the first and second floors around the chimney and the woodburner, and had to punch a hole in the roof and en exterior wall, he said.

The rest of the house sustained smoke damage.

Fredonia, Jackson Center and Pine and Springfield township volunteers assisted.

The second fire was called in at 1:02 a.m. Tuesday. A resident -- Finley said he had not identified the occupants -- woke to the smell of smoke.

An addition that was being built was destroyed. Because there was little or no drywall in the addition, the fire quickly spread to the attic, Finley said.

Two other rooms sustained heavy fire and smoke damage, and the rest of the house was filled with smoke, he said. There also was exterior damage.

Jackson Center, Grove City and Pine and Springfield township firefighters assisted.

The American Red Cross has given both families a place to stay. No one was injured.

The Cornell home was insured, but Finley said he is not sure about the Perry Highway home.