How do I remove a fireplace?

In my house, we have a fireplace that we want to get rid of. It was added to the house after it was built(built in 1986). The chimney is on the outside of the house, and there is a stainless flue that runs to the roof. Is there a way to remove the fireplace without having to take the whole flue out? At about the second level floor(first floor ceiling), there is a metal flange that I can see and I'm wondering if that could be supporting the rest of the flue and chimney from the ceiling up to the roof? If that's the case, is it possible to remove the section of the flue that is below that flange and not have to worry about the rest of the flue coming down with it. When I look up the chimney through the fireplace, I can see the top of the chimney and I can also see the flue is in about 6' sections all the way up. Above the fireplace around the flue there is about a 8" gap between the flue and the walls of the chimney which is covered in sheetrock.