By: Joseph Deinlein
The Evening Sun
Connie Zollers said she'd started a fire in her fireplace and had left her house for 15 minutes.
When she came back to the house at 501 Fulton St. in Hanover, things didn't look good.
"I saw smoke coming from where it shouldn't be," she said, motioning to what was left of the top of her chimney.
The 3 p.m. fire was the first chimney fire in Hanover Borough this winter, said Fire Commissioner James Roth.
Firefighters from Hanover and Penn Township responded and had the small fire quickly under control. Black smoke was pouring from the top and sides of the chimney, which was a metal pipe surrounded by plywood and vinyl siding.
Using the Hanover Fire Department ladder truck, firefighters quickly
Likely the wood burned in the chimney had built up what is known as creosote - tar and other chemicals from the smoke - and caught fire, Roth said.
"When that fire gets going inside the chimney, it can get up to 800 or 1,000 degrees," he said.
That fire then spreads beyond the pipe, causing the fire.
Firefighters used infrared cameras to examine the external chimney pipe from the basement to the roof, as well as squirting water down the structure.
Zollers said that as soon as she saw the
There were others with her, but everyone was able to exit the house quickly and no one was hurt.
She laughed ironically when she was told the chimney fire was the first in the borough this season.
"Figures it would be," she said.
CHIMNEY TIPS
Some safety tips for keeping chimneys in good working order:
1. Get an annual chimney check. Have chimneys inspected annually, and cleaned as necessary, by a qualified professional chimney service technician.
2. Keep it clear. Keep tree branches and leaves at least 15 feet away from the top of the chimney.
3. Install a chimney cap to keep debris and animals out of the chimney.
4. Choose the right fuel. For burning firewood in wood stoves or fireplaces, choose well seasoned wood that has been split for a minimum of six months to one year and stored in a covered and elevated location. Never burn Christmas trees or treated wood in your fireplace or wood stove.
5. Build it right. Place firewood or firelogs at the rear of the fireplace on a supporting grate. To start the fire, use kindling or a commercial firelighter. Never use flammable liquids.
6. Keep the hearth area clear. Combustible material too close to the fireplace, or to a wood stove, could easily catch fire. Keep furniture at least 36 inches away from the hearth.
7. Use a fireplace screen. Use metal mesh or a screen in front of the fireplace to catch flying sparks that could ignite or burn holes in the carpet or flooring.
8. Install smoke and carbon monoxide detectors. Place detectors throughout the house and check batteries in the spring and fall.
9. Never leave a fire unattended. Before turning in for the evening, be sure that the fire is fully extinguished. Supervise children and pets closely around wood stoves and fireplaces.
For more, visit the Chimney Safety Institute of America online at www.csia.org.
- from the Chimney Safety Institute of America
