Sean C. Morgan
Of The New Era
Overcast, rainy days and lower temperatures mean the start of flue fire season.
“We’re starting flue fire season,” said Doug Emmert, battalion chief with Sweet Home Fire and Ambulance District. “As it gets colder and people start using wood stoves for heat, we’ll start seeing more flue fires.”
Flue fires are usually fueled by creosote buildup in chimneys, which catches fire when it gets hot.
“Typically, people haven’t cleaned their flues from the season before,” Emmert, sometimes even for years.
Flues need to be cleaned at least once a year or if it has signs that it is plugged up, such as smoke billowing out when stove door is open, Emmert said. Creosote builds up most with unseasoned or wet wood. It also tends to build up when a stove is left simmering.
Creosote comes from incomplete burning of wood in a stove, he said. It can get so thick on the walls of a chimney it can prevent smoke from getting out at all.
When a hot fire gets going, such as paper burning, it can ignite the creosote, he said. Flues are not typically built to withstand the heat of a creosote fire, and it can break down the walls of the chimney and give fire a way into the structure of a home, especially after multiple flue fires.
Burning the creosote is actually one way people clean their chimneys, Emmert said, but that presents the danger of breaking down the chimney walls; and such chimneys need to be inspected.
Otherwise the owner runs the risk of a destructive structure fire, he said. “I’ve seen several over my career that we attributed to flue fires.”
Years ago, people thought brick was sufficient to keep fires from the structure, Emmert said, but hot creosote fires can go right through cracked brick. The same goes for metal flues.
Firefighters have responded to a couple of flue fires recently, one on Thursday on Skyline Drive.
The fire department continues to check out chimney sweeps to area residents, Emmert said. People borrowing them need to know what size their chimney is before going to the department.
Round flues are typically six to eight inches across and circular. Emmert suggests measuring it or giving it a good guess.
For more information, call 367-5882.
This season also means backyard burning is permitted again, but only on burn days, Emmert said. Only yard debris, trimmings, leaves and branches can be burned.
To find out if it’s a burn day, call 451-1904 and press 1. People also may contact the local Oregon Department of Forestry office at 367-6108.
Firefighters responded to a backyard burn that went out of control on Thursday on Crawfordsville Drive across from Holley School.
The owner had built a fire in the middle of an old demolished building, according to the fire report. The fire burned underground from the burn pile and got out of control, threatening the home there.
Firefighters were on the scene for about four hours making sure the fire was out.