Mr. Peevey cuts the fire hose with an ax. A close up shot shows water gushing from the nozzle end. (The subsequent shot shows water correctly gushing from the water tank end.)
Fire Commissioner Lilly goes to show Carolyn areas of the county that already have new fire engines, but he pulls down a map of the United States rather than a map of Maine or any of its counties therein.
Claymore leaves the kerosene can right up against the fireplace grate. If there had been a fire in the fireplace instead of smoke, there could have been a serious emergency. In fact, when Capt. Gregg rids the house of smoke, all the wood in the fireplace has been charred, so there must have been a fire in there somewhere that somehow failed to ignite the kerosene.