According to Wikipedia, “A chimney fire is the combustion of residue deposits referred to as soot or creosote, on the inner surfaces of chimney tiles, flue liners, stove pipes, etc.”

So, what is creosote?  When wood burns, certain by-products or substances are produced.  There is the smoke you can see, as well as things you cannot see like tar in the smoke, water vapor, gases, unburned wood particles, and assorted minerals. These by-products are warm, and when they pass through the cool chimney, condensation forms.  The resulting residue sticks to the inner walls of the chimney creating something called creosote.  Creosote is highly flammable.  If enough creosote builds up, and the temperature in the chimney becomes high enough, a chimney fire can erupt.

This chimney fire in Stevens Point caused a great deal of smoke damage to the entire home.  

This home fire actually started outside the home.  Some pine tree needles had accumulated underneath the deck/porch.  A guest to the home was smoking outside on the deck/porch.  The cigarette, or embers from the cigarette, started the pine needles underneath the decking material on fire.  The fire quickly spread into the kitchen area of the home.  Luckily everyone inside the home was able to escape unharmed.  

This kitchen in Oshkosh experienced what appears to be a kitchen grease fire.  The homeowner reported not even being sure how the fire started.  The homeowner left the home for about 20 minutes and came back to find this disaster.  According to the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA), "During the five-year period of 2012-2016, cooking was the leading cause of reported home fires (48%) and home fire injuries (45%) and the second leading cause of home fire deaths (21%)."  And according to the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), cooking is also the leading cause of unreported home fires.  While this damage may not look too significant, it really is.  Even a fire this size can cause significant smoke damage through out the home.  

On Saturday, May 7th, 2019, our President and 6 other employees volunteered their time to install smoke detectors as part of the American Red Cross' Sound the Alarm Campaign.  We love being involved in our community.