Saw a chimney fire start from a blocked flue in a 1920s house last Wednesday

I was doing a routine clean on an old house near downtown, and the homeowner said her fireplace was smoking more than usual. I ran my camera up the flue and found a massive bird nest about 8 feet up, completely blocking the draft. Before I could even pull it out, a spark from the firebox caught some dry debris and I watched a small flame start to crawl up the creosote. I put it out with my extinguisher quick, but it freaked me out how fast it happened. How often do you guys check for nests before the first fire of the season? I'm thinking of making it a mandatory preseason step for all my clients.

3 comments

3 Comments

murphy.aaron25d ago

Honestly, that's the kind of thing that makes you realize how fast a simple cleaning job can turn into a full on emergency. But here's an angle nobody's talking about yet: what about the birds themselves? That nest you pulled out might have been a seasonal situation, but in a 1920s house with all those nooks and crannies, birds and squirrels are getting in year round. I've seen old clay flues where critters chew through the mortar and drop debris right into the firebox, and nobody ever thinks to check for that before lighting a match. So yeah, checking for nests before the first fire is smart, but you might want to add a full inspection of the whole flue structure too, because those old houses are basically a motel for wildlife.

williams.sage25d ago

One fire in how many years though? Birds have been building nests in chimneys since forever and most people just burn em out without a second thought. The creosote buildup is the real danger, not a little bird nest. Seems like you got unlucky with the sparks but I wouldn't call it a crisis.

lewis.finley24d ago

Funny you mention the critter situation, my buddy had a raccoon family set up shop in his chimney one fall. Thought he was doing the right thing by running a wire brush through it before lighting up, but all that did was push a bunch of leaves and twigs down into the damper area. Ended up with smoke billowing into his living room cause the whole thing was packed solid. So yeah, a quick look up top doesn't always tell the full story.