Found out 90% of chimney fires start in the flue, not the fireplace

I was reading through some old NFPA reports last night and couldn't believe it. I always thought most fires were from creosote buildup near the firebox, but the numbers show the flue is where it really gets bad. Found a stat saying over 20,000 chimney fires happen each year in the US and almost all of them are from flue issues. Has anyone else looked into this and changed how you inspect?

2 comments

2 Comments

alicemurphy7d ago

Wow, over 20,000 fires a year from flue problems is way higher than I ever thought!

kai_webb917d ago

That stat really makes you think about all the people who don't clean their flues like they should. It seems like such a small thing to keep up with, but the risk is obviously huge. Regular maintenance might save a lot of heartache and property damage we don't consider.