FEBRUARY 16, 2015
CHICOPEE, MASS. (WWLP) –
Chicopee firefighters were able to
put out a dangerous chimney fire Monday night before it caused extensive damage
to a century-old house in Chicopee Falls.
Acting Deputy Chicopee Fire Chief Wayne Lemay told 22News
there were flames shooting out of the chimney at 356 Grove Street when his
crews arrived at 7:00 p.m. Monday.
Deputy Lemay said the firefighters reached the chimney on a
platform extended from a ladder truck. They extinguished the fire by pouring
chemicals down the flue. He said water would have damaged the flue.
There was some smoke damage to the house, but the occupants
will be able to stay there. Grove Street was closed to traffic for about an
hour.
Deputy Lemay told 22News chimney fires develop when creosote
builds up in the flue. “People stoke their fires in this very cold weather, and
the fire ignites the creosote,” Lemay said. “On a cold night like this, the
flue lights up, and Boom! It sounds like a freight train.”
The super-heated flue can transfer the heat or a leaked
flame to surrounding wooden framing in the attic. In this scenario, a home
could catch fire.
Deputy Lemay advises homeowners to have their chimney’s
professionally cleaned twice per year to avoid chimney fires. Lemay said
the Grove Street chimney hadn’t been cleaned in a year. The home was
built in the late 1800’s, according to the owner. Lemay said older homes
have flues made with a brick lining, which are more susceptible to leak flames
to surrounding wood framework in a chimney fire. Modern flues are made
from ceramic material or stainless steel.
Lemay said the cold weather caused problems retracting that
platform ladder.
Creosote deposits may be removed by using a stiff chimney
brush if the deposits are sooty in character. This is the easiest and best
condition to handle.
Creosote deposits that are glazed and hard on the chimney
walls can be difficult to remove by may be removable using a powered mechanical
brush.
Creosote deposits that are sticky, oozy, "gummy"
are very difficult to remove without a chemical treatment - chimney cleaning
chemicals are not recommended by the CSIA.
The Chimney Safety Institute of America (CSIA), a
non-profit, educational institution focused on the prevention of chimney and
venting hazards, is concerned about the consumer use of chemical chimney
cleaning products to the exclusion of conventional chimney inspections and
cleaning. These products often are promoted for their ability to remove a
portion of the creosote from a masonry or metal chimney interior through
catalytic action when burned in a fireplace or wood stove.
The CSIA believes that the use of these products alone is
not an adequate substitute for mechanical chimney cleaning and inspection
because it does not provide the same level of protection to the chimney system.
Current promotional claims for some of the products may be creating a false
sense of security among consumers.
We have observed that a "gummy" creosote deposit
may harden when the chimney dries or is (carefully) heated.