Fire officials warn about proper chimney use after a chimney fire over the weekend

After a chimney fire left a Boone County home uninhabitable Saturday night, fire officials said proper inspection and cleaning of chimneys is important, especially during the cold weather months.

“It’s just like the furnace in your house,” said Gale Blomenkamp with the Boone County Fire Protection District. “You should have those checked out before the cold season arrives every year, and so, if you haven’t done that, now is the time.”

It all has to do with the build up of creosote and a properly working flue pipe.

“What we don’t want to have happen are the build up of creosote in the flue pipe or a separation in the flue pipe itself, which can then cause a fire inside your attic,” Blomenkamp said.

He said a fire can be hard to spot there until it’s too late.

“A lot of times people will not know they have a flue fire and a lot of times people don’t even know they have a fire in their attic,” said Blomenkamp.

Officials said most of those fires are called in by neighbors or people driving by.

But it’s not just chimneys that cause fires in the winter. It can also be space heaters or wood-burning stoves if they aren’t used properly.

“What people need to remember if they’re going to buy those devices, is make sure they are UL listed,” Blomenkamp said. “Most of those will have a limiting switch, which means if the device is tipped over, it will shut itself off.”

He said these products should only be used when someone is keeping a close eye on them.

Fire crews said if you find yourself in a situation with a chimney fire, it’s actually best not to try and dump water on it or close the flue to try to contain it.