How to Use a Fireplace Safely

With the increased cost of energy, people use wood burning and gas fireplaces not only as decorative pieces but for heating, too. Unsafe use of these fireplaces is increasing the number of emergency room visits and house fires. Knowing the safest way to operate your fireplace keeps you and your family safe and prevents damage to your home.

Difficulty: Easy

Instructions

1. Clean the fireplace before each use. Remove any old ashes and discard them in a sealed metal container away from your home.

2. Make sure that the flue and glass doors are open, and all flammable are items are at least 2 feet away.

3. Build a safe fire by not burning garbage, plastic, charcoal and rolled newspapers in the fireplace. If you burn paper that then goes up and out of the chimney, it can ignite the roof when it lands. Small fires are safer than large fires because there's less chance of a log rolling out of the fireplace.

4. Light the fire only when you're able to tend to it until it burns out completely. Hot embers left in a fireplace overnight can pop out on the carpet and start a fire. For safety, lay a couple of cookie sheets over the carpet.

5. Limit access to areas around the fire. Set up child safety gates to keep children and pets from playing near a fireplace, and always use a fireplace screen when the fireplace is in use.

Tips & Warnings

• Have your chimney inspected by a certified chimney sweep prior to your first use of the season in order to clean out all harmful buildups and ensure that the fireplace is in full working order.
• Don't use a liquid accelerant to start a fire. The vapors from these chemicals can travel throughout the room and ignite, causing serious injury and fires.
• Never keep combustibles near a fireplace.