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Has Anyone Ever Experienced A Creosote Chimney Fire in Person?
- Thread starter Rubycon
- Start date
Saint Nick
Lifer
Pics?
Uppsala9496
Diamond Member
No, but about 20 minutes ago my oven just started on fire. It's electric. The bottom coil in the oven looked like a sparkler. Took me unplugging the whole thing to get it to stop.
arcenite
Lifer
Hmmm... I'm not even sure how to unplug my oven. Maybe that's something I should take some time to figure out.
Never had a chimney fire.
However, I found out that if I laid a sheet of newspaper onto the fire, completely unfolded, I could get the whole thing to burst into flames virtually simultaneously, and fly up the chimney on the updraft. This produced spectacular flames out of the flue with wild showers of sparks of burning newsprint.
I even once had a neighbor call the fire dept. For that reason, I don't recommend doing this at home.
As for creosote fires. Next time, don't burn unseasoned wood - you need to season it for 12 months to avoid excessive creosote formation - especially high water content woods like poplar and ash.
However, I found out that if I laid a sheet of newspaper onto the fire, completely unfolded, I could get the whole thing to burst into flames virtually simultaneously, and fly up the chimney on the updraft. This produced spectacular flames out of the flue with wild showers of sparks of burning newsprint.
I even once had a neighbor call the fire dept. For that reason, I don't recommend doing this at home.
As for creosote fires. Next time, don't burn unseasoned wood - you need to season it for 12 months to avoid excessive creosote formation - especially high water content woods like poplar and ash.
Squisher
Lifer
With an electric oven that's on fire I imagine flipping the breaker off would be a better choice.
Doppel
Lifer
Fixed :biggrin:
Modelworks
Lifer
I have seen a couple chimney fires but these were from wood stoves in things like barns where very sappy wood was burned like pine. An old farmer once had fire coming out the stack near the top of the barn every time he started up the stove for the first time that day , always told me 'never mind about it, always does that, it will burn itself out'.
Sounded sort of like one of those kerosene forced air heaters starting up, kind of a mix between a flame trying to flare up and a vacuum pulling it down.
Sounded sort of like one of those kerosene forced air heaters starting up, kind of a mix between a flame trying to flare up and a vacuum pulling it down.
Modelworks
Lifer
Sounds like the element burned out.
tip for the future, learn where your breaker box is located and which is the one to the oven.
alkemyst
No Lifer
dude, it's ok to be gay...but I am not.
MtnMan
Diamond Member
31 years as a volunteer firefighter, seen a bunch. A good one has a definate roar, have seen them that the top of the chimney looks like the exhaust of a rocket, or that were spewing burning balls of burning cresote that rolled down the roof and if they got caught in the gutter ignited the shingles, or if they went over the gutter landed in landscaping bushes and they went up in flames.
Have see them got so hot the mortar between the flue liners fell out and caught the walls or attic on fire.
If the source is a wood stove, throw ice cubes on the fire and close door and dampers. The steam will help extinguish.
Closing the damper on a fireplace just put the smoke from the still burning fire into the house, if you can actually reach the damper as most are in the chimney above the fire box.
Water down the flue is the worst, it will shatter the flue liner. We carried "chimney bombs" in a small plastic took kit on every truck. These were the dry chemical from an extinguisher in ziploc bags. With appropriate gear, fire coat and gloves we just dropped a couple down the chimney. The bag melted immediately and the dry chemical agent extinguished the fire.
CALL THE FD
Responded to a number where they had a chimney fire 'earlier' but it went out so they didn't call.......... until the whole roof of the house was on fire.
Have see them got so hot the mortar between the flue liners fell out and caught the walls or attic on fire.
If the source is a wood stove, throw ice cubes on the fire and close door and dampers. The steam will help extinguish.
Closing the damper on a fireplace just put the smoke from the still burning fire into the house, if you can actually reach the damper as most are in the chimney above the fire box.
Water down the flue is the worst, it will shatter the flue liner. We carried "chimney bombs" in a small plastic took kit on every truck. These were the dry chemical from an extinguisher in ziploc bags. With appropriate gear, fire coat and gloves we just dropped a couple down the chimney. The bag melted immediately and the dry chemical agent extinguished the fire.
CALL THE FD
Responded to a number where they had a chimney fire 'earlier' but it went out so they didn't call.......... until the whole roof of the house was on fire.
Fern
Elite Member
Happened to my neighbor a couple of years ago.
Yeah, fire came out the top of the chimney and also his attic caught fire. (I think of the flue as the opening in the actual fireplace to allow air/smoke to vent out/upwards through the chimney. In which case, no, fire will not come out of the flue because the updraft blows it out through the chimney top.)
Edit: Looks like I'm confused about what a flue actually is.
Fern
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14 years experience with almost 11 of that full time career FD, so I have seen quite a few myself.
This is pretty close to my experience, however with the right tools water can be used.
Chimney Snuffer
I have used it several times with great success.
And I strongly agree about the risk of hidden fires after you think the chimney fires are out.
One of these also make finding hidden fires easier, along with the traditional techniques and training.
Not calling as soon as you suspect a chimney fire can cost a house....
So get everyone out safely and call immediately.
MtnMan
Diamond Member
Of course on any working chimney fire we pulled handlines, and had a similar snuffer but never used it for the simple reason the home made chimney bombs work so well and quicker to deploy. We would get a 5 gal bucked to the dry chemical from the company that recharged our extinguishers and simply filled quart size ziplock's and carried them in a $5 plastic tool box.
I have seen the results of a homeowner applying water with a garden hose, pieces of flue liner in the fireplace, because it shattered like glass due to the thermal shock.
People need to understand the danger of a chimney fire, because fire department treat them like a working structure fire and send a full alarm. We rolled a pumper, and 2 pumper/tankers plus mutual aid tankers (a lot of the district doesn't have hydrants), the same response if the caller stated that flames were coming out every window.
I have seen the results of a homeowner applying water with a garden hose, pieces of flue liner in the fireplace, because it shattered like glass due to the thermal shock.
People need to understand the danger of a chimney fire, because fire department treat them like a working structure fire and send a full alarm. We rolled a pumper, and 2 pumper/tankers plus mutual aid tankers (a lot of the district doesn't have hydrants), the same response if the caller stated that flames were coming out every window.
DrPizza
Administrator Elite Member Goat Whisperer
I've seen one; but never had one. We did have a problem once - creosote built up so fast (or something happened) that the chimney clogged off & the smoke started coming out in the house. We had to pull the wood stove off the chimney and carry it through the house with flames shooting out the back of it, and put it in the front yard til it burned out. 2am, we were cleaning the chimney.
After that night, we had a cable/chain that went down the chimney to the basement, and attached it to some chains. Pulling a rope from ground level lifted the cable and chains up; at the top of the chimney, it was dropped. Repeat 4 or 5 times, then inspect the chimney, and it was generally cleaned out pretty good. (We had put a steel liner in the chimney, so cracking blocks/mortar wasn't that big an issue.)
After that night, we had a cable/chain that went down the chimney to the basement, and attached it to some chains. Pulling a rope from ground level lifted the cable and chains up; at the top of the chimney, it was dropped. Repeat 4 or 5 times, then inspect the chimney, and it was generally cleaned out pretty good. (We had put a steel liner in the chimney, so cracking blocks/mortar wasn't that big an issue.)
Number1
Diamond Member
About your wood stove. Would it not have been easier to just poor water in it to snuff it out? I don't know, it seams like carrying a burning wood stove trough the house would be kind of hazardous... LOL
CurseTheSky
Diamond Member
It really depends on the situation. A decent wood stove at full tilt can be difficult to put out. Keep in mind that dumping water in won't necessarily extinguish everything in one go, and if it doesn't, you could have flaming debris and embers spilling out. Also bear in mind that the water is going to quickly evaporate, and the steam can give you some very nasty burns.
MtnMan
Diamond Member
Uhhhh yea, one of mine took 4 men to get into the house, and that was with the door off and the firebrick removed. Probably weighs 500+lbs. The small one 300+.
Tsavo
Platinum Member
Yep. When I was a little kid, parents had this GIANT cast iron stove in the living room. Stack was glowing, humming up a hellstorm and sounding like it was getting ready to put itself into orbit.
Dad had them extinguisher flares which put it out in no time.
Scary as hell.
It got to 100 degrees on the third floor, and it completely crispied the flue cap.
Dad had them extinguisher flares which put it out in no time.
Scary as hell.
It got to 100 degrees on the third floor, and it completely crispied the flue cap.
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skyking
Lifer
I should have clarified, it was an insert so I could close the draft off at the front of the stove. No damper, but a tight fitting adapter plate.
Rubycon
Madame President
Your description reminds me of the noise in this video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=anvB0ouJQWs
Scary sounding indeed.
It would seem that cold stacks causing the stuff to drip down and form a glaze are the biggest hazard to a full blown chimney fire.
In case anyone is wondering I'm going through some firefighting stuff and find the extra things that we're not required to cover fascinating.
LiuKangBakinPie
Diamond Member
NEVER let the fire get between you and your exit
What type of firefighting stuff are you going through?
Guess I should say I have been a firefighter, driver operator for engine/aerial/rescue/tanker, rescue tech, emt and medic, and now an officer (supervisor). I have been through a bit of training over the years....
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