If I have a fire in my chimney.....???

You beat me to it. Yeah, as a volunteer firefighter, I've heard/seen the same thing. You don't want to just 'let it burn out.' I'd much rather have cracks in the chimney from me putting a fire out w/water than from the heat of the fire.

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"I pursue my faith with a lack of remorse; I stand resolute to embrace the cause." -- Project 86

Yes, chimney fires are nothing to mess with. When I was a teen our house almost burned down from a chimney fire. The chimney was old to begin with, but with the fire, it got hot enough to catch the wood of the house on fire that was near the chimney.

The fire department had to open up several holes in the walls and ceilings to make sure everything was out and after that fire - the chimney was replaced.

Some people seem to be under the impression that a chimney fire is good - it is burning out the creosote and such that has built up. That is true, but each time you have a chimney fire, the fire gets so hot that it starts to break down the mortar & liner which damages the integrity of the chimney.

You NEVER want to throw water in as that will crack the liner. The best thing to do is upon finding a chimney fire, call the fire department FIRST! Even if the fire has burnt itself out when the fire department gets there they usually have imaging equipment to make sure there are no hot spots in your house that might be smoldering. I guarantee that the fire department is more happy with being called to a fire that has burnt itself out rather than coming to a fire that the house owner "thought" they could handle on their own only to have it get out of control and have a raging fire by the time they get there!

Some people who even have chimneys put up pipe along the outside of the house when they install a wood or coal burner. While it may be unsightly, at least your house won't burn down if it does catch on fire.

I'd agree that the best way to prevent a fire is to have your chimney cleaned each year BEFORE the heating season starts up. You never know if a bird has built a nest in your chimney blocking it off or not. And always make sure you burn wood that is dry - cut and stacked for at least 6 months.

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Michael W. Smith in North-West Pennsylvania

"Everything happens for a reason."

The "stick" is supposed to be great! Our fireman here use them on chimney fires and bought them for the kids for Christmas last year! I want to say it is called Firedex but not sure. Think I paid about $8 at our local hardware for them last year.

From my firefighting experience, chimney fires can be handled a number of different ways - some of them mentioned already - and if handled properly, the clay liner will not be damaged.

In a rural area with limited turn-out, while waiting for a pumper/tanker (30 minutes sometimes), throwing wet newspapers or wet rags into the stove will create steam (like the ice mentioned above does) - steam is an excellent way to put out or control a chimney fire without causing damage. Purple K or another drychem tossed into the stove works well too, but drychem works better tossed down the chimney than into the stove. Down the chimney with drychem of any type is not for the inexperienced and is dangerous.

We also used a "snuffer" nozzle - about a dozen furnace nozzles piped into a 18 inch piece of 3 inch metal pipe and attached to a fire hose and this worked without damaging the chimney as well - only a very low volume of water came out of that nozzle and created the steam necessary to put the flue fire out. The weight of the metal and attached hose was also great for breaking up creosote blockages in the chimney too.

Regardless of what method you use to extinguish/control a chimney fire, chimney fires are dangerous - often fatal. Blind flaws in the chimney, old construction techniques and damage to the chimney often allow flue gases to escape the chimney or excessive heat build-up in structures butting up to the chimney - hidden structures that equal hidden fire potential. Play it safe and call your fire department.

Thank you everyone who contributed to this thread. I've often wondered what to do if such a situation arises. BTW, we ALWAYS have our chimney cleaned once a year.

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I also want to say Thank You for all your replies. This thread has answered a lot of the questions I had. Our plans are to definitely have the chimney cleaned yearly, but if a chimney fire happens anyway, I think we'll be better prepared.

20 lb.dry chemical extinguisher.Sits in the room beside my stove.I never had one before and don't want one.But I think if it was burning strong.Just put the nozzle in the air intake and spray.Extinguisher are very cheap insurance.Also remember to turn it upside down and shake,a few times a year.Sometimes the chemical will settle to the bottom and get hard.A good shaking will get it free.For me calling the fire department,would be a 30 minute wait.I go to auction all the time and see extinguishers sell for 3-5.00 each.I got them sitting in every building, auto,and tractor I own...... idontno

I agree that every home should have several extinguishers in it.

Also a warning.

Be carefull what you buy.

Extinguishers need to be tested and recharged periodically.

If you buy an extinguisher that has a nylon head on it (handle area) it will probably fail the testing portion and not be able to be refilled (seen this more times than I can count).

If you are buying an extinguisher look for one with an aluminum handle.

It may cost more, but in the long run you will save money.

Also, watch for your fire department to have a fire extinguisher training session where they have someone teach you to use your extinguisher. We usually do it once a year. The instructor lights a tray of gasoline on fire and helps people put the fire out.

If your department does not do this type of training then talk to the fire chief and suggest it.

Finally to add to the chorus of fire safety...

I have been a firefighter for 18 years and during that time I have seen many homes damaged or destroyed due to issues with wood heat. Improperly installed stoves, neglect, improper ash disposal, chimney fires. These range from a simple chimney fire to houses burnt to the ground.

People on this board would probably laugh about some of the things I have seen until they saw the persons home and life destroyed because of it.

Things like sucking up the ashes in the fireplace with a vacuum and then putting it in the closet (neat freaks).

Just because ashes are grey does not mean they are out!!!!

I grew up in a house where we heated exclusively with wood and to this day have a healthy respect for this type of heat. Wood heat is nothing to laugh about and is something that you should be very carefull about.

I hope this helps all of you stay safe.

Scott

Country Lady - I'm really glad you started this thread - and your timing is perfect... just as we're ready to head into winter and so many of us already heating with wood.

I had some follow up questions on this subject.

1. When you guys have "chimney fires" do you actually get flames shooting out the top of the chimney? I think I've had one chimney fire over the years and it was with the wood stove in my shop, which has a 6" black pipe extending straight up 13' and then transitions into the insulated chimney pipe on the outside. There were no flames coming out the top of the chimney, but the black pipe was roaring and vibrating like it was possessed. I did not open the door but shut the airflow off and it settled down after a bit.

2. With regards to fire extinguishers. I have several of them in the shop and a couple in the house. One of these has a hose on the end, but the rest have no hose. I'm thinking of standardizing on 20lb.er's with hoses as it seems the hose would be more usable than one with no hose. Where can I buy these? I assume I want the "ABC" "dry chem" ones?

3. Using said extinguisher to put out a chimney fire. My chimney stack is way too tall to even consider dumping something down from above. So, should I,
a) attempt to shoot the extinguisher through the air intake holes while leaving the door closed, or b) open the door and shoot it into the fire box?

4. What should the after-action activities entail in the aftermath of a chimney fire, prior to resuming use of the wood burner??

5. Several people have mentioned some sort of stick or something that can be burned in the stove to help prevent creosote build up. What are these, how do the work, and where can I get them?

6. "Chem sticks" were mentioned. Are those the "light" sticks that you shake or break to get light? Why would one use those to quench a fire instead of an extinguisher??

Thanks for your help.
Wayne

Hello, anybody home???????????????????

Sometimes threads seem to die after they go to the second page. We looked for the sticks at the fireplace store, Lowe's and a farm supply place and no one knew what we were talking about. I haven't searched the internet. Has anyone bought these online?

A few answers.
#4 - Call the fire department first. When it's over, call a chimney sweep to clean it out and inspect the damage to see if the chimney is still usable.

#5 - You can get the creosote sticks at Lowes, Home Depot, fireplace stores, etc. One brand is called Flis Stix. You just toss it into the fire and it helps keep creosote down.

#6 - The chem sticks are a stick you throw into the box when you have a chimney fire. I have not been able to find these for the past two years, and I've tried a lot of places. I heard that the factory where they were made burned down. Ironic...

This was the advice given to me:

Keep a large spray bottle of water beside the woodstove supplies in order to spray the burning wood inside the stove IF and when there is ever a chimney fire. The reason for this tool, is for it to Quickly create steam or water vapour, as steam works very quickly to dissipate heat in the chimney as per the Fire Triangle. Google search "Fire Triangle" to learn more:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fire_triangle

One of these 3 elements needs to be quickly removed to extinguish a fire and up a chimney, steam gets there the fastest. In a stove, adding baking soda or a dry chem extinguisher will work in the woodbox, but those won't reach or extinguish the fire in the chimney, which already has it's own fuel (creosote), it's created its own heat and can even draw oxygen/air from loose fiitting pipes, or from the outside via the chimney exit. So steam will work the best and the quickest to break the fire triangle, as it is easily drawn up the chimney, and like smoke, goes everywhere. DO NOT put enough water on the burning wood to immediately extinguish it, or else it won't create steam to put out the chimney fire, which is now it's own beast and unrelated to the actual firebox fire.

Also, if you close the damper, it may or may not remove all the air availible to the chimney, again either through cracks, or the top. It will help "eventually", but maybe not before the chimney fire has already burned a lot of it's own fuel.

Water vapour also won't crack the chimney as a cold dose of water from above will, so it won't cause damage.

The main thing is to plan ALL of your strategies ahead of time and also prevent the fire in the first place as others have well advised.

"Stay Low in Smoke"

Good explanation, thanks.

and remember kids.... when all else fails you can pee in the fire and get much the same steam-generating effect.

lol

I lived for a while in a foreign country. The houses were made of cement with tile roofs. The prefered method of cleaning a chimney was to put a wad of newspaper up the chimney & light a chimney fire. They would run outside to make sure it worked by how high the flames shot up out the top. Typically they would do this 2-3 times a winter to keep the "draw" right.

I am assuming you all would NOT recommend this as a method for keeping a chimney clean. The funny thing is that in the year I was there I saw it done numerous times & never heard or saw any bad consequences from the practice.

Just a note, we had a chimney fire two years ago and didn't know it. I had always heard that it sounds like a "freight train" and you know immediately that you have a chimney fire. I *did* hear the fire but it was just a very faint roaring sound and I dismissed it as the wind. We didn't even know until we had the chimney cleaned the following fall.

Stacy

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