Massive fire that tore through Rachael Ray’s New York home began in chimney

A fire that tore through celebrity chef Rachael Ray’s upstate New York home started in a fireplace chimney, state officials said Friday.

The state Office of Fire Prevention and Control said the Aug. 9 fire at the house in Lake Luzerne, N.Y., was accidental.

The blaze sent flames through the roof of the home, at the end of a private drive in a rural area about 60 miles (97 kilometers) north of Albany, New York.

More than a dozen local fire departments worked to put out the flames. No firefighters or anyone from the household was injured.

Ray had been filming two days a week from her home since April, with her husband working as the show’s cameraman and producer.

After officials released the cause of the blaze, the 51-year-old television personality posted her first personalized tweet since the fire, writing: "In last few mos. we lost our dog of 15 yrs (Isaboo, who died on May 19) and our home to fire.

"This wk watching Dems, Republicans, Independents - Americans of all ages and a young man conquering a stutter, our hearts are filled again w love & hope. We are blessed to still have this nation to call home."