Chimney and fireplace symptoms
We had a chimney fire last night. What now?
If your chimney is on fire, get everyone out, then call 911. Afterward, no fires until a Level 2 inspection puts a camera up the flue: burning creosote gets hot enough to crack tiles out of sight.
Updated
What to do right now
If the chimney is still burning, get every person and pet out, then call 911 from a neighbor's or the sidewalk. After the fire department has cleared the house, do not light anything in that fireplace or stove, not even a small test fire, until a camera has been up the flue. Leave the damper and ash as they are so the inspection sees what the fire left.
Likely causes, most common first
A chimney fire needs fuel and a flue that lets it spread, and these are the findings an inspection looks for.
- Most common
Glazed or heavy creosote fed the fire
The sign: Puffy, honeycombed, gray or silvery creosote in the firebox and on the roof, like burnt popcorn, where tar used to be.
The fix: The burned residue and whatever glaze survived come out with rotary tools after the camera has recorded them. Creosote Removal, from $449
- Common
Heat shock cracked the clay tile liner, or the flue never had one
The sign: Tile shards on the smoke shelf, a camera showing vertical cracks or shifted joints, or a flue of bare brick with open mortar lines.
The fix: A stainless liner matched to the fireplace or stove gives the flue a continuous wall again. Chimney Liner Installation, from $1999
- Common
The damper warped or seized in the heat
The sign: A plate that no longer seats flat, a handle that grinds or jams, and cast iron turned blue, gray or scaly.
The fix: A distorted throat damper is replaced, often with a top-sealing damper that also closes the flue to rain. Damper Repair and Replacement, from $149
- Less common
The smoke chamber parging and firebox joints spalled
The sign: Mortar dust and flakes on the hearth, firebrick faces popped off, or daylight through a joint at the back of the firebox.
The fix: The smoke chamber is parged smooth with refractory mortar and the firebox is repointed or rebuilt where the heat opened it. Smoke Chamber and Firebox Repair, from $299
- Common
The flue was overdue for a look and hid the buildup
The sign: Nobody remembers the last sweep, the stove came with the house, or the fireplace was used hard through a cold week.
The fix: A Level 2 camera inspection documents the whole flue before anything is cleaned, and the images go to you and your insurer. Chimney Inspection, from $129
Two minutes of safe checks
Once the fire department has left and the fireplace is cold, these checks help you describe what happened without climbing anything.
- From the yard, look at the roof and gutters below the chimney for gray puffy flakes, scorched shingles, or a cap whose screen has bulged or discolored; look only, no ladder.
- With a flashlight in the cold firebox, look for creosote that resembles burnt popcorn or honeycomb, cracked firebrick, and fresh mortar dust on the hearth.
- Feel the chimney breast and the walls around it on each floor hours later: warm drywall, blistered paint or a hot tar smell means heat reached the framing, which is a call to the fire department, not to us.
- Check that smoke and carbon monoxide alarms work on every floor and near the bedrooms, since a cracked flue can leak gases long before anyone sees a crack.
- Write down what you heard and saw, when it started, how long it lasted and what was burning, and photograph the roof flakes from the ground; the inspector and your insurer will ask.
Why the flue stays cold even if it looks fine from the firebox
The flue stays cold because a chimney fire heats clay flue tiles fast enough to crack them, and the cracks sit up in the flue where no flashlight from the hearth can reach.
A cracked tile lets the next fire push heat and gases through the joint toward the framing around the chimney. That is why the national chimney standard, as the trade describes it, recommends a Level 2 inspection after an event such as a chimney fire rather than a routine sweep.
The Level 2 adds a camera scan of every flue surface and a look at the accessible parts of the chimney in the attic and basement. The camera finds what the fire did; the sweep that follows removes what it left.
Signs of a chimney fire nobody noticed at the time
Many chimney fires are slow and quiet, and these are the clues they leave behind.
- Creosote that has expanded into puffy, honeycombed or popcorn-shaped masses, usually gray or silvery instead of black.
- A damper plate that is warped, discolored or no longer closes against its frame.
- Pieces of clay tile on the smoke shelf or in the firebox, or a camera view of cracked, shifted or missing tiles.
- A discolored cap or chase cover, a screen with melted or bulged wire, and creosote flakes on the roof or in the gutters.
What the visit after a chimney fire involves
The order matters: nothing is cleaned until the damage has been recorded.
Document before touching anything
We photograph the firebox, damper, smoke shelf and roof as the fire left them. If the flue is swept first, the evidence of what happened goes into the vacuum with the soot.
The Level 2 camera inspection
The camera travels the full flue, recording cracked or missing tile, open joints, offsets and burned residue, and we look at the chimney in the attic and basement where accessible. You get the images and a written finding.
Removal of what burned
Expanded creosote and any glaze that survived come out with rotary tools under a HEPA vacuum, and the smoke chamber and shelf are cleaned to bare masonry.
The repair, and only then another fire
That can mean a stainless liner, a replacement damper and parging of the smoke chamber, priced from the posted board before work starts. The fireplace goes back into service once the repair is complete and the flue has been checked again.
After a chimney fire: common questions
Can I use my fireplace after a chimney fire if the fire department said it was out?
No. Out is not the same as undamaged. Firefighters make sure the fire has stopped and the house is safe to be in; they do not inspect the flue. A Level 2 camera inspection is what tells you whether tiles cracked, and until then the fireplace or stove stays cold.
What does a chimney fire sound like, and could we have had one without knowing?
A loud one sounds like a low roar or a freight train, with popping, dense smoke and sometimes sparks or flame above the cap. Many are quiet and slow, and the household never knows; those show up later as puffed-up creosote, a warped damper or cracked tiles found during a sweep.
Will my homeowner policy pay for the damage from a chimney fire?
That depends on your policy, so call your insurer before any repair starts. Ask how the policy treats sudden damage compared with wear and neglect, since a fire fed by years of buildup can raise that question. Send the Level 2 report with its camera images, which give the adjuster a record of what the fire did.
Why does a chimney fire need a Level 2 inspection instead of a regular sweep?
Because a sweep cleans the flue and a Level 2 examines it. The sweep removes residue without seeing the tile joints behind it, while the Level 2 runs a camera over every flue surface and checks the chimney in the attic and basement. After a fire, the crack you cannot see is the question.
How soon after a chimney fire should the chimney be inspected?
Before anyone cleans the flue and before the next fire, which in practice means days rather than months. Early is better because the burned residue and the state of the damper and tiles are the record of what happened, and rain or a well-meaning cleanup erases some of it.
What usually needs fixing after a chimney fire in an older Portland chimney?
Often a liner. Many older Portland brick chimneys have no clay tile at all, so a fire in one opens mortar joints and heats the framing directly, and the repair is a stainless liner matched to the fireplace. A warped damper and a scorched smoke chamber come next.
Related pages
Areas we cover for this
Calls about after a chimney fire come in from Hillsboro, Montavilla, Richmond and Division and every other part of the metro we serve.
Ready to book a sweep?
Call with what the fireplace is doing, or text a photo of the opening and one of the chimney top, and we will name the service and its posted price before we come out.