Home heating fires account for 36% of residential home fires every year.
Indoor fires can be dangerous any time of the year, but they can be particularly hazardous during the holidays, when around wrapping paper, decorations and holiday trees.
Before lighting your fireplace make sure that the flue is open and that there is no paper, gift wrappings or holiday decorations near the fireplace. Keep combustible materials such as paper, logs and kindling at least 3 feet away from the fireplace. Make sure that the Christmas tree is well away from the wood stove or fireplace. The excess heat will turn it into a dry torch.
• Place the logs at the rear of the fireplace on a supporting grate and arrange the andirons to prevent any logs from rolling out. Always have the spark screen handy so that you can place it in front of the fireplace as soon as the fire has started.
• Never use flammable liquids to start a fire. Use only seasoned hardwood as this will give off the least amount of creosote.
• By building small fires they will burn more completely and will produce less smoke.
• Never burn cardboard boxes, wrapping paper or other waste in your fireplace or wood stove. Never burn a Christmas tree in the fireplace.
• Never leave a fire unattended. Extinguish the fire before going to bed or leaving the house.
• Allow ashes to cool completely before disposing of them. Place the ashes in a tightly covered metal container and keep the ash container at least 10 feet away from your home. Ashes have a tendency to continue to burn, even after you think they are out.
• Never empty the ash directly into a trash can; this is an open invitation for a fire to start.
Maintenance of your fireplace is very important for fire safety. Fireplaces, just like anything else, wear out over a period of years and need to be maintained.
• Have a professional chimney sweep inspect and clean the fireplace and chimney at least once a year. This maintenance is crucial to prevent creosote buildups and potential chimney fires.
• Have a cap installed at the top of the chimney with a mesh screen spark arrester.
• Keep the roof of your house clear of leaves, pine needles and other debris and remove any branches that may be hanging above the chimney.
• Be sure to install both a smoke detector and carbon monoxide detector in your home and make sure the batteries are replaced. Keep a fire extinguisher on hand.
Remember that a fireplace residential construction fire requires about 5 times as much air as most houses require for proper ventilation. With today's tightly constructed homes, a fireplace can set up reverse draft that can suck poisonous carbon monoxide fumes from water heaters or other fuel burning devices in the house and discharge them into the living area.
To be safe, a positive source of outside air should be supplied to all fireplaces and wood burning stoves to bring in enough fresh air for efficient burning. This can be provided by installing an outside air vent or opening a nearby window when the fireplace or stove is being used.
