Groveland Chimney Fire Friday Leads Fire Chief to Offer Safety Tips

Groveland Fire Department. (Courtesy photograph.)

The Groveland Fire Department is using a Friday chimney fire as an opportunity to offer safety tips for maintaining chimneys and preventing chimney fires.

Chief Robert Valentine said the department was dispatched after receiving a report of a potential chimney fire Friday morning and found a buildup of creosote in the home’s chimney which began to smolder and caused excessive smoke. The department successfully removed the buildup and dispersed the smoke.

Groveland Fire said not keeping a chimney properly maintained can lead to chimney fires, which can spread quickly. Valentine suggested resources by the Chimney Safety Institute of America and the state, which include having chimneys cleaned annually by a CSIA Certified Chimney Sweep, having annual inspections even if chimneys are not often used, properly dispose of ashes, ensure the damper is open before lighting a fire, using a fireplace screen to prevent flying sparks and embers from falling on the floor and installing and maintaining smoke alarms and carbon monoxide detectors.

Comments are closed.