I am still shaking a bit as I type this. Let me start with the fact that my Dad is the most stubborn human being in the world, and although I did get him to look down the chimney this fall, he said it was fine and wouldn't clean it. He loves to keep the fire as low as possible, and uses the bypass damper to control the fire. Ok, here we go- I was downstairs this afternoon trying to get his smoldering pile if wet logs burning, and the chimney started rumbling. Uh oh... I closed the bypass, closed both air intakes and shoved some foil in the cat air intake. I then went outside and saw black smoke and creosote billowing from the chimney. I ran back inside and upstairs yelling "I think the chimney is on fire". I then went back downstairs, ran a glass of water and threw it on the now smoldering wood. I got rather shook up, and then ran out the front door to see what was going on. I met one of our neighbors, who yelled across the street "are you having a chimney fire?", to which I replied I think so. I then looked up and saw flames from the chimney, and ran back inside to find my Dad opening the damper and intakes back up! I just went into panic mode and don't remember a whole lot until about 5 minutes later when 2 fire trucks came up our street, lights and sirens going. One of our neighbors had seen the flames and called 911. 6 or 8 Firemen (all dressed in fire suits and smoke masks of course) came inside and first checked the attic, then went downstairs and proceeded to check out the stove, first asking me if we had been burning anything in the stove today (seriously?), then asked where the "flue" was. I was a bit confused by that one.. I almost said- "in the chimney, right where it belongs!" One of the men then opened the stove (with bypass still closed, and watched as smoke poured inside. I then, relatively calmly told him that the DAMPER is right there! No matter, he opened and closed the damper several times, pouring smoke each time. By now, two different smoke alarms are going off, and another fireman comes downstairs with full garb and a large extinguisher, and walks straight into the ceiling fan, nearly knocking it down. My Dad had gone up in the attic with 3 or 4 of them and I was downstairs dealing with the mess. Nobody ever went on the roof, and they told us to stay home all night and carefully watch things as the remaining wood burns out. They took temp readings of the chimney and walls, and told us we needed to clean the chimney. After the firemen and fire trucks had left, and our neighbors had gone back inside, my Dad told me "I wish they hadn't come so it could have just burned out" :0! I said "Houses burn down EVERY DAY from chimney fires, and you think this is no big deal? He then commented "WELL then buy a creosote log and burn it!" I went off a bit after that, but I think I finally got through to him, maybe somewhere about "If that chimney isn't cleaned I'm taking a sledge hammer to the stove" he finally settled down and we agreed it would be best to just let it go out and clean the chimney before it is re lit. I even offered to help (I am terrified of ladders) He is still acting like I'm an idiot, I may be young but I'm not stupid (21 vs. 63), and I'm not risking my life and my family's just because he can't be bothered to clean the chimney. I guess things could have turned out much worse had it happened while we were all asleep upstairs.
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