More Chimney Fires

Just when we thought spring was in the air, chimney fire season reappeared with the cold snap. A total of three were attended to last week. One suffered serious damage to the chimney. This was in an older house with a brick chimney through the centre of the home. The child's bedroom that the chimney passed through was completely filled with smoke although the two small children got out safely. Large cracks were observed around the entire chimney with approximately the top 6 feet coming loose. Crews were on scene for three hours trying to get the bricks to cool down as they were at 200 F for a long period. It appears that the fire got between the clay liner and the brick face and was burning between the two parts. A hole had to be made to allow water to enter the void space and cool things down. An entire wheel barrow of soot and creosote was removed from the cleanout. All in all a tough but well fought battle. Things could easily have been much worse. Crews did an excellent job in getting this difficult fire under control. The other two fires were a little less dramatic. One occured in a brand new home with a metal chimney. While no significant damage was caused, the homeowner was quite distressed. The likely cause appears to be the use of wet wood. The other call occured in an older house but with a new chimney. Heavy creosote was found in this metal chimney, but the fire was quickly extinguished with no further damage being caused.