If your Twin Cities home has a fireplace or a wood stove, chances are you're planning on using it soon, if you haven't already.   But hopefully before you light it for the first time you'll get it cleaned and have taken steps to avoid any chimney fires. It should be one of the major items on your pre-winter home maintenance list. We can't stress this enough: keep fire extinguishers nearby to any wood-burning units, and make sure that everyone in the home is trained in how to use them.   Each year we see news reports of a home or two in the Minneapolis area that has caught fire and the origination point was the chimney.  It's a serious matter, because it can cause quite a bit more than some sparks and smoke in your home.  The heat of a chimney fire can reach up to 2000 degrees F, hot enough to cause a fire that could engulf your home.  At the very least, sparks coming out of the top of your chimney could cause damage to your roof if you have asphalt or wood shakes. And these fires can be sneaky, because they can develop without your being aware of it until it's already well on its way to creating damage.

We'd like all our customers and family and friends to make it safely through another wood-burning season, so please check out this website that has helpful information on chimney fires, the dangers they pose, and how to avoid them.

Quarve Contracting, Inc. is a licensed Minnesota roofing contractor, and while we provide roof repairs and replacement in the Twin Cities area, we'd rather homeowners avoided having to use our services because of a chimney fire.