Newbie here ... question regarding Wool Hearth Rug

[Boozie]

I'm having a wood insert put in my fireplace next week. From my old Safety Department days (Secretary), I was always under the impression that wool was a great fire retardant. When I mentioned to the salesperson today that I had purchased a wool rug for in front of the hearth, he said "no, it would catch fire", that I needed "a fire-retardant or fiberglass rug". My hearth is 17" wide and 12" high. What is best makeup for hearth rug? Thank you.

Babs

 

[BrotherBart]

Fiberglass would be best. But I have been looking at the little tags on hearth rugs for eons and the fine print always says that it just meets the same fire retardant standards as the carpet on your floors. Meaning it smolders and melts and lets the stuff smolder and melt the carpet under it.