Displays when Total Fire Ban in force
One of the pleasures of colder weather is sitting in front of an open fire or glimpsing flames in a solid fuel heater. But don’t forget the downside of open fires and solid fuel heaters.
This simple pleasure also comes with its inherent dangers … chimneys can catch fire! And this is one of the reasons for our most common call outs during winter.
Chimneys need to be cleaned before weather turns cold, to ensure they are not choked with soot and creosote, and become a fire hazard. Soot build-up can catch alight and spread throughout the rafters and beams in the roof. This is exactly what nearly happened earlier this week.
Woodend volunteers Chris Byrne and Sam Bahgat working on the burning chimney from the roof
We have been called to several smoke alarms this year, but fortunately they have been ‘false alarms’. But the one earlier this week had the potential of burning down the house.
The chimney had not been cleaned for many, many years and with our recent freezing weather the fire had been burning solidly for many days. The chimney was extremely clogged with soot and caught fire. The quick action of the owners in calling 000 and the CFA saved a potential tragedy. However, all this danger would have been saved with some regular maintenance.
