Keep the Home Fires Burning - Safely

“What did you do tonight?” my wife asks after a training drill last fall.

“Oh, some ladder practice and I learned how they put out a chimney fire.”

Puzzled, she asks, “But isn’t that what a chimney is for – a fire?”

Good point. I mean, a fire in your chimney is infinitely better than one in – I don’t know – your living room. But the problem with older or improperly installed chimneys is that even a so-called “contained” fire can sneak through cracks into the surrounding woodwork, igniting a complete structure fire.

Colder nights mean people are cranking up the heat, which carries a greater danger from fuel-fired appliances that sat idle all summer.

The United States Fire Administration estimates than one-third of Americans use fireplaces, wood stoves and the like as their primary heat source. Unfortunately, many are unaware of the unique fire risks when heating with wood and solid fuels. Heating fires account for 36% of residential home fires in rural areas every year. Often these fires start as creosote buildup in chimneys and stovepipes.

A roar – people have described the sound as a low-flying airplane – is typically the first indication of a chimney fire. If you hear this sound, and it’s growing louder, there’s a good chance you have a fire raging in your chimney.

It can be pretty impressive (your neighbors will notice). Clouds of black smoke and sparks may escape your chimney. If enough of the creosote catches, flames can leap several feet above the top of the chimney.

Chimney fires can also burn very slowly if they’re not being fed by much air or fuel. Don’t be fooled – these “sleeper fires” are no less dangerous than the dramatic ones.  At high temperatures, intense heat can actually pick the mortar out from between bricks or stones.

Before starting up wood stoves for the heating season, the Haddam Volunteer Fire Co. strongly recommends that chimneys and stovepipes be thoroughly cleaned and inspected. Get them swept now to avoid paying a higher price later.

"It’s much easier to call a chimney cleaning contractor than call the fire department," says 2nd Assistant Chief Bob Norton. “Of course, if you suspect a chimney fire, don’t delay in letting us know.”

If dispatched, firefighters must first determine if the fire is restricted to the chimney, following it from the basement to where it extends above the roof, and every inch in-between.

“Thermal imaging cameras are used to isolate any possible breaks in the flue that could be letting heat in and igniting the wood surrounding it,” Norton says.

Ladders are put up so firefighters can get to the roof to check the extent of the fire. Inside the house, additional crew members remove the fire from the fireplace or wood stove, potentially removing the stove completely.

A set of 25-pound chains is lowered into the chimney from the roof, knocking off any burning debris clinging to the walls. If a chimney is completely blocked, a ball weighing approximately 40 pounds is dropped to pound through the molten goop. At that point, if a ledge or other design inside the chimney keeps the fire to be quickly knocked down, dry chemical “bombs” from above extinguish the fire. A dry chemical extinguisher may also be used from below if the chimney is still drafting air. Water should never be used because it expands while converting to steam.

Norton said firefighters make every effort not to damage the chimney, roof, stove or surrounding floors by putting down tarps and using roof ladders, but notes that corners will not be cut.

“We have to make absolutely sure that the fire has not extended into the house,” he says.

Each year, the HVFC responds to about six chimney fires, several that inevitably shows signs of extension into the walls. A call for a chimney fire takes firefighters several hours to clear, and can be dangerous depending on the height of the roof, the amount of ladder work needed and snow. Because Haddam doesn’t have a ladder truck, the company depends on large ground ladders located on its engines.

Kind of makes you want to cozy up in front a fire, doesn’t it?

Go ahead … just make sure you get your chimney or wood stove checked out first. You’ll have peace of mind, and we won’t have to freeze our butts off.


More information on the activities of the Haddam Volunteer Fire Co. and ways you can get involved can be found on our website – www.HaddamFire.com.