Residents Reminded to Sweep Chimney Stacks after Fairfield Fire
On Sunday 12th January at 18:06 fire crews from Bromsgrove extinguished a fire in chimney stack in house in Fairfield, with a further reinspection being carried out using a thermal image camera.
Hereford & Worcester Fire and Rescue Service is urging homeowners to get their chimneys swept by a registered sweep to prevent chimney damage, and, in worse cases, household fires.
Having your chimney swept regularly can prevent chimney fires, and all it takes is one phone call (to a registered sweep), one modest payment and one hour of your time.
To keep you and your family safe from fire:
- always use a fire guard to protect against flying sparks from hot embers
- make sure embers are properly put outbefore you go to bed
- keep chimneys and flues clean and well maintained
- never burn rubbish
- never use flammable liquids such as petrol or paraffin to light your fire.
Station Commander Amy Bailey from HWFRS’s Community Risk department said: “To keep you and your family safe from fire make sure you have your chimney swept regularly, depending on what fuel you burn.”
Station Commander Bailey continued: “A stove or open fire can be an ideal and pleasant way to keep warm, but without proper maintenance a chimney can become dangerous.” She urged people to make an appointment now with a registered chimney sweep if their chimney is due a clean. Further chimney safety advice and full details of chimney sweeps operating locally are listed on the Service’s website at www.hwfire.org.uk under the Safety and Advice heading.