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Heating Homes With Wood Sparks Fire Concerns

Heating Homes With Wood Sparks Fire ConcernsWBZ

It's a big money worry for most of us. With winter just around the corner and the price of home heating oil and natural gas still high, a lot of people want to know about staying warm.

Blake from Raynham wrote on wbztv.com/curious: "How are we going to heat our homes this winter?"

Well, a growing number of people are answering that question with one word -- wood. But that is raising a big concern about fire danger, and what you have to do to keep your family safe.

Learn 10 chimney safety tips

It happened to Alba Siniscalco.

"All of a sudden we hear this big roar. Next thing you know we see smoke hovering," she says.

The chimney on the Siniscalco's Dedham home had caught fire.

"You'd see, like sparks, and slowly but surely it got brighter and brighter and brighter," says Anthony Siniscalco standing outside his house, pointing up at the chimney.

"Then you're thinking about all the stuff you have in your house, and what if your house burns down," says Alba Siniscalco.

The culprit was creosote, a sticky, dark substance that can build up inside the chimney and catch fire.

According to Lorraine Carli of the National Fire Protection Association in Quincy, it's a big problem.

"Each year we see about 60,000 fires associated with heating systems, and the majority of those fires actually occur in the chimneys and chimney connectors," says Carli.

Homeowners are expected to burn a lot of wood in Massachusetts this winter in hopes of cutting the chill and the high cost of keeping warm.

How do we know?

We went to Rockland to visit Craig D'Alessandro's wood business. It's usually dead in the summer, but not this year. The chain saws and delivery trucks have been in high gear.

"As fast as we bring the wood in, as fast as it's going out," says D'Alessandro. "Everybody is buying twice as much as normal."

A lot of wood guys say the same thing.

Chimney companies like Eurosweep in Braintree also had unusually busy summers.

"We've been slammed since the first day of July with people calling," says Loreen Koubek of Eurosweep, a chimney sweeping company.

Why the brisk business?

"If they have a fireplace, they're going to burn in it," says Koubek.

That's why it's important to have your chimney and fireplace inspected and cleaned before using it.

"If the flues aren't free and clear and sound, and you use it, you have a fire hazard, you have a smoke hazard, you have a carbon monoxide hazard," says Koubek.

Creosote buildup clogs the system and can catch fire, but a good cleaning by a reputable sweep will keep you safe.

Learn How To Choose A Chimney Professional

But since chimney sweeps are not regulated in Massachusetts, Koubek says be sure to look for these things:

  1. Be sure the sweep has proof of insurance
  2. Find out if they are certified by the Chimney Safety Institute or
  3. If they are a member of the Massachusetts Chimney Sweep Guild. But you better get going.

Heating season is almost here, and the sweeps are busy.

Eurosweep is hearing from people who haven't had their chimneys cleaned in years. The stakes are high.

"You could lose your house, you could lose your life, you could lose your family's lives," says Koubek.

And the experts we talked to say to be sure and burn only seasoned wood. Use only small amounts of paper to get the fire going, and don't put any plastic in there because it gives off harmful fumes.

More Chimney resources:

Chimney Safety Institute of America

How To Select A Chimney Professional

Facts About Heating Equipment

What To Burn and What Not To Burn

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