Grays Harbor Fire District 5 News and Safey Information

Fire prevention is no laughing matter. Home fires can spring up in seconds and devastate your home, injure people, and cause mass amounts of property damage in a very short period of time. If you have a fireplace, you may also have a residential safety issue. The following article will show you possibly fireplace hazards and how to fix them.

Understanding Chimney Fires

Even though the risk seems low because the chimney is insulated and ventilated it can still clog. When this happens a fire could occur. These fires can be slow and methodical or they can be explosive. Billowing smoke, flames shooting from the fireplace, sparks, and a loud rumbling can all accompany a chimney fire.

When you burn wood the smoke makes its way up the flu but what isn't obvious is that it doesn't have to remain gaseous. Creosote is the material that smoke can turn into. Over time this material forms on the bricks of the chimney creating a tar-like substance. Creosote is flammable and will stay there until cleaned or a flame reaches it.

Read more: Be Safe - Chimney Fire Safey