Clean chimneys, dry wood are key to fire prevention

As temperatures drop below freezing, many folks in town will turn to their wood-burning stoves for some warm respite. And while there may be nothing cozier than a pair of wool socks and a wood stove on an icy evening, there is certainly nothing cozy about a chimney fire.

Chimney fires are common but are easily preventable by regular maintenance.

They are often caused by a buildup of creosote on the inside of chimney walls. According to the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s fire safety guide, creosote is essentially the residue left over by the smoke as it rises out of the chimney.

Creosote is “highly combustible,” according to FEMA, and can easily be recognized by its “crusty and flaky — tar-like, drippy and sticky — or shiny and hardened” appearance.

FEMA warns that “if it builds up in sufficient quantities, and the internal flue temperature is high enough, the result could be a chimney fire.”

One way to prevent creosote buildup is to make sure you only burn seasoned wood (wood that has been stored long enough so that it can dry out). Creosote is partially made up of the wood’s water content, so when you season your wood for longer, you remove one of the ingredients for creosote.

It is also more financially feasible to use seasoned wood. According to the Division of Air Quality at the Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation, families who burn seasoned wood will go through 30% less wood than those who don’t. The state agency also pointed out that this is especially pertinent in Southeast, where frequent rain makes it more difficult to season wood.

According to the most recent data available from the U.S. Fire Administration, heating fires — which includes chimney fires — were the second-highest culprit for residential fires in 2022. Only cooking fires set more homes aflame.

The U.S. Fire Administration encourages households with a wood-burning stove to keep the following in mind: Keep anything that can burn at least three feet from your fireplace or woodstove; do not burn paper in your woodstove; put the fire out before you go to sleep or leave the house; inspect your chimney annually; store ashes in a metal container with a lid at least 10 feet from your home.