The main culprit of chimney fires is creosote. This highly flammable, dark brown substance coats chimney walls when by-products of a fire (smoke, vapor, and unburned wood) condense as they move from the hot fireplace or wood stove into the cooler chimney. Minimize creosote build-up to prevent chimney fires. RELATED: 14 Bad Habits That Could Burn Your House Down 1. Keep reading to understand what causes chimney fires and the six best steps you can take for preventing them. These tragedies are often preventable: Failure to regularly inspect, repair, and clean a chimney can cause it to malfunction or collect dangerous build-up that puts your family at risk.įortunately, if you practice the prevention tips here, that hard-working column above your fireplace or wood stove should continue to do its job of ushering smoke and other by-products out of your home, so you and yours can safely enjoy cozying up in front of the flames.

In the most severe cases, chimney fires can destroy houses and put lives at risk. That damage is largely due to flames in the lower chimney migrating upward to crack, warp, melt, or otherwise negatively affect the masonry or metal chimney walls.

There are more than 25,000 chimney fires incurring $125 million-plus in property damage every year in the United States.

Chimney flume