What to Do If Sparks Are Coming Out of Your Chimney

Owning a fireplace is a luxury many people are lucky enough to afford. And with that, comes the painstaking and often relentless need to upkeep and maintain. Having a sweeper come to your home to clean and inspect is essential and is something you can do before problems arise, like embers coming out of your chimney. Other red flags to look out for are embers and flames, black and sense smoke, as well as cracking noises. If you weren’t able to get to an annual chimney cleaning, here are a few things you can do if you notice sparks coming out of your chimney.

Evacuate

This is the most important and crucial step to a possible life-threatening situation. Before you even attempt to put out any embers or gather any of your belongings you need to first and foremost evacuate your loved ones out of your home and call the fire department immediately.

Close flue dampers and air vents

The fire can easily exacerbate if you have any air vents or dampers open. Make sure all air vents are closed to lessen the intensity of the fire. This is all okay to do as long as your loved ones are safely outside and the fire department is already on the way.

Move any furniture

If the interior of the house is okay, then you are free to move all flammable furniture and belongings around your fireplace to minimize the damage. If you have a shirt to wear around your mouth, this is suggested as inhaling smoke can be detrimental to your health. Remember this step is only advisable if the fire is a small one. If the fire is spreading and large, we absolutely recommend waiting outside for the fire department to arrive and safely extinguish.

Grab your fire extinguisher

Again if the fire is a smaller one, you are free to use your fire extinguisher. You can shoot the entire content of the canister in the fireplace for immediate results. If you don’t have a fire extinguisher, baking soda or salt pellets work as well. But you will need a large amount of both substances for it to work. One thing you don’t want to use is water as it will make things worse by causing more steam and gas to enter the chimney, ultimately cracking and warping it.

Call a chimney company

After the fire department has extinguished the fire, it is imperative to call a professional chimney company to assess the damage and rehabilitate. It is important to do this before using it again since excess heat generated during a chimney fire can produce cracks in the flue lining and further damage your property.

Call Hudson Valley Chimney Inc. at (845) 471-1071 or inquire online for professional chimney repairs and inspection.