I had a chimney fire last night

[dswineford]

For 13 years there was a insert in my lower level masonary fireplace. The previous owner put it there with no ss liner or anything, he just put it in. Well after using it for 13 years I decided to take it out and move it upstairs. When I took it out I was shocked at all the creosote that was in the flue and that had fallen down around the insert. I removed 3 full 5 gal buckets. I scraped all that I could and vacumed out all that I could reach.
Last night my 21 year old twin daughters decide to have some freinds over for a diner/party so I built a fire down there for them. After about 5 hours of a good hot fire I went to put more wood in the fire for them while they were upstairs eating dinner and just happened to look up at the damper and saw what looked like what you'd see in a volcano. Bright orange glow and sparks shooting every where insdie the smoke ledge area. I ran outside and saw black smoke shooting out the chimney like what comes out smoke stack of a steam locomotive. Quickley I ran in the house and got my chimney fire extinguisher and threw it into the fire box and shut the doors on the fire place. Thank God it put out the fire but the bright orange glow lasted for another hour. Nobody in the house knew what just happened but my wife becuse when I ran downstairs with the chimney fire extinguisher she knew what it was and I normally don't carry it around with me.
I wasn't concerned to much about the house burning down at the time because the chimney is made to with stand fires. It's a masive 6' x 16' thee flue terracotta lined chimney made of brick and morter. All I can say is those chimney fire extinguishers that look like a safety flair really do work.
ps- I'm not going to use it anymore unless I put another insert in it with a full liner.
,Dan

 

[67ref]

glad to hear everything and everyone ok,
scares me to read stuff like this.

take care ... all the best and get that chimney cleaned.

 

[colebrookman]

Sometimes it's good to be lucky. i would recommend calling the fire dept. before I try anything. Get them coming. Most depts. have cameras to see hot spots and extensions in the walls. You say your chimney is built to take it but did the builder put wood or insulation right against the chimney. We had a newer home and the wood in the attic flared when the chimney fire got really hot. Also just a little crack can leave hot embers or even fire into the walls only to smolder and break out into a full blown structure fire while you sleep. Not trying to scare anyone but sh*t happens. Call the pros to at least check it out. Be safe.
Ed

 

[Adios Pantalones]

Hey- chimney's clean now

 

[drdoct]

You almost made father of the year for the embarrassment you would have caused your twins if you'd burned down the house during their party. You handled it pretty good I think. Sure you probably could have called the fire dept, but I wouldn't have. I pretty much try everything myself especially if it meant making a donkey of myself.

 

[dswineford]

I don't know if chimney is clean now, but I'll get a fireman/sweep to look at it. also there is no insullation or building material against the chimney that goes up thru the center of my house it's a open floor plan with a true cathederal ceiling with no attic in that area. The chimney is exposed all around it. The house would of burned to the ground if it caught fire since I live in the country with volenter fire dept. Also right now we got 12-18" of snow with 4 to 5 foot piles where we all plow. So access to my house is really limited. Firemen would of had a hard time getting up on a 12 12 pitched roof 45 deg with a foot of snow on it.
,Dan

 

[woodconvert]

All I can say is those chimney fire extinguishers that look like a safety flair really do work.

Yep, those things work extremely well. Oddly, "Chimfex" is a company that made those awile back...I was told their factory burnt down :long:

Chimney fires suck. I've been involved in one and that's one too many. Glad it worked out for you.

 

[firefighterjake]

I don't know if chimney is clean now, but I'll get a fireman/sweep to look at it. also there is no insullation or building material against the chimney that goes up thru the center of my house it's a open floor plan with a true cathederal ceiling with no attic in that area. The chimney is exposed all around it. The house would of burned to the ground if it caught fire since I live in the country with volenter fire dept. Also right now we got 12-18" of snow with 4 to 5 foot piles where we all plow. So access to my house is really limited. Firemen would of had a hard time getting up on a 12 12 pitched roof 45 deg with a foot of snow on it.
,Dan

A few points . . .

First off, even though you may question your local FD's ability to handle a chimney fire or house fire I would strongly recommend calling them. They will be able to determine if the fire is truly out . . . and extinguish it in far less time than an hour . . . they can and will check for fire spread in case the chimney has any cracks in it (or in case the heat from the fire has caught any combustibles placed too close to the chimney on fire) through the use of thermal imaging cameras, IR heat detectors or by simply using commonsense and a few senses.

As an added bonus while the firefighters are there on the roof they will typically run a brush through the chimney to give it a simple cleaning . . . not a replacement for calling a chimney sweep . . . and definitely not a replacement for regular cleanings though.

More importantly -- I always recommend calling the FD in case the chimney fire morphs into a structure fire -- it's always better to have folks on the way (especially if there may be a delay if you are out in the country) than to wait until you discover you have a problem and then need to make the call.

It may not be the same everywhere but the two biggest differences that I see up here in Maine when it comes to volunteer firefighters vs. career firefighters is 1) volunteers have to fight time (time to get to the station, time to get from the station to the fire vs. career firefighters who are at the station 24/7) and 2) career firefighters often end up running on more calls and so get a lot more experience and "practice."

Other than these two items I have found that the training, equipment, number of firefighters, techniques and even success/failure rates are pretty comparable in most cases . . . and believe it or not, the volunteer FD in my hometown has a pretty good save rate with chimney fires and even house fires (depending on how soon the fire is reported . . . obviously folks that don't call in right away can cause a 10-20 minute delay and when dealing with fire these minutes can be the difference between a save and a loss.)

Incidentally, once again, it may not be the same everywhere, but in general I've found that our local volunteer country FDs are actually better at fighting chimney fires than the full-time city FD -- in Bangor they often extinguish a fire by using a hoseline which will put out the fire in no time flat . . . but can obviously ruin a chimney. In comparison, the guys back home may take a bit longer to put out the fire, but typically they are able to do so with a minimal amount (if any) damage to the chimney.

Finally, don't worry about the pitch of the roof. Even without a ladder truck we have the equipment and training to get us on the roof . . . roof ladders are a staple of every FD and on a steep roof absolutely necessary.

 

[LLigetfa]

Chimney fires suck. I've been involved in one and that's one too many.

I had one in a SS chimney more than 30 years ago and put it out by pouring water down it. My father's house burned to the ground when his SS chimney caught fire.

The creosote buildup around the insert should have clued you in that the entire chimney, incuding smoke shelf needed proper cleaning. It would appear your amateur attempt fell short.
(broken image removed)

 

[Cearbhaill]

All I can say is those chimney fire extinguishers that look like a safety flair really do work.

Yep, those things work extremely well. Oddly, "Chimfex" is a company that made those awile back...I was told their factory burnt down :long:

Am I correct in understanding that these things are no longer available?
Or if they are available, where do I get them?

 

[dswineford]

All I can say is those chimney fire extinguishers that look like a safety flair really do work.

Yep, those things work extremely well. Oddly, "Chimfex" is a company that made those awile back...I was told their factory burnt down :long:

Am I correct in understanding that these things are no longer available?
Or if they are available, where do I get them?

I can't find them anywhere. I was told once that a safety flair could also be used?
,Dan

 

[trapshooter9]

A few years ago I was coming home from work and noticed my neighbors chimney on fire. The house is an old two story farmhouse. There were flames 3-5 feet out the top of the brick chimney. The term "flames" doesn't do it justice. It looked like a blowtorch. I pulled in, blowing the horn as I called the fire dept. They (an older couple) came out and looked up at it and wasn't even concerned. They stood there and looked at it and said "It does that every once in a while". Then he sent his wife in to shut the damper. The fire was under control by the time the FD got there. I had never seen an actual chimney fire before and I must say it was a very scary site. I thought sure the house was going to burn down. I vote for calling the FD just in case.

As a footnote, the neighbors were about half PO'ed at me for calling the FD. I guess they have a lot more faith in their 100 year old chimney than I do.

 

[colebrookman]

All I can say is those chimney fire extinguishers that look like a safety flair really do work.

Yep, those things work extremely well. Oddly, "Chimfex" is a company that made those awile back...I was told their factory burnt down :long:

Am I correct in understanding that these things are no longer available?
Or if they are available, where do I get them?

I can't find them anywhere. I was told once that a safety flair could also be used?
,Dan

Not the same. Please just keep your chimney clean and check it to see how you are burning. Be safe.
Ed

 

[LLigetfa]

They (an older couple) came out and looked up at it and wasn't even concerned.
...
As a footnote, the neighbors were about half PO'ed at me for calling the FD. I guess they have a lot more faith in their 100 year old chimney than I do.

Some old people have some pretty funny ideas and I have to wonder how they managed to get old. My parents should have killed themselves a lot sooner than they did with some of their wierd notions.

A friend had a chimney fire that caught the interest of the fire mashall who then did a thorough inspection of the whole house, condemning the cellar wood furnace installation in the process. Rather than bring it up to code, he ripped it out and gave me all his seasoned firewood.

 

[woodconvert]

All I can say is those chimney fire extinguishers that look like a safety flair really do work.

Yep, those things work extremely well. Oddly, "Chimfex" is a company that made those awile back...I was told their factory burnt down :long:

Am I correct in understanding that these things are no longer available?
Or if they are available, where do I get them?

I can't find them anywhere. I was told once that a safety flair could also be used?
,Dan

Not the same. Please just keep your chimney clean and check it to see how you are burning. Be safe.
Ed

I have not seen them available nor do I know if someone else makes an equivalent. I still have the one's I bought years ago...minus one.

The best thing you can do is burn good seasoned wood.

 

[mellow]

See my post about the Fit-5, I have emailed the makers of it asking if they are making a smaller version we could use in the event of a chimney fire. I will post their response.

 

[mattinpa]

Someone recently told me a shovel full of rock salt in your fireplace or furnace will put out a flue fire?
Anyone else know if this works?

 

[Shari]

I was looking for a link to a story I saw in our local paper a few days ago but I can't find it now that I want to link to it.........

Seems the homeowner had a chimney fire around 8pm. He put it out. Next morning, around 5am, fire erupted. His $200,000 home is a total loss. All persons evacuated safely. Question remains: Did the 5am fire originate in the chimney?

I don't know about anyone else but if we ever had a chimney fire and we 'got it out' I would still call the fire department immediately to check it out.

Safety first.

Shari

 

[mellow]

I have had 2 chimney fires, both times I called the FD. Both times they came out with the IR camera to see if I had any hotspots, the first time I still had a hotspot on my damper so they got that put out. I wouldn't wish upon anyone that traumatic experience.

 

[LLigetfa]

Someone recently told me a shovel full of rock salt in your fireplace or furnace will put out a flue fire?
Anyone else know if this works?

I've never heard of salt being used that way but at one time, they used to condition a new chimney with salt on a very hot fire. Apparently it glazes the flue. Not sure I'd want to encapsulate creosote in a glaze.