With the end of summer in sight, now is the perfect time to have your chimney cleaned and checked before the winter heating season. Chimney fires cause over $125,000,000 in damage each year in the United States alone. Chimney fires are caused by a build up of creosote or gases from combustion that have cooled and then cling to the sides of the flue. Creosote is highly flammable and although it won’t cause a fire right away, the accumulation will build up and eventually get hot enough to ignite. You may hear a roaring sound like a low flying plane, see darker than normal smoke coming out of the chimney or possibly even see flames from the top of the chimney. The easiest way to prevent this problem is to have your chimney cleaned and inspected annually by a certified chimney contractor.
If you do suspect you have a chimney fire you should get everyone out of the house and call 911 for the fire department to respond. Chimney fires may spread outside of the chimney and involve the structure of a building so early notification is very important so that the fire may be extinguished quickly and keep damage to a minimum.
