Chimney fire - bloody hell
Discussion
Well, I've just experienced probably one of the most frightening moments of my life - a chimney fire 
We have had a fire every winters day for the last 8 years and always a good healthy one.. We have the chimney swept every year and have never had a problem. I thought tonight I'd throw a small (very small) ply wooden 2 bottle wine box on the fire rather than add more wood from my stock pile....
What a bloody mistake that turned out to be
It started to burn and after a minute or two I did think the flames were on the large size of small....then the roar started to be joined with large bangs, finally as I waited for Fireman Sam the spinning cowl on the top of the roof was glowing red hot and spinning like a gas turbine.
To say I s
t my pants is an understatement and I really do now feel a complete wally... 
Fortunately aside from some dust in the living room and a bit of a smokey smell in the house there is no damage to the family or house contents.
Be warned guys - don't be a cock when it comes to playing with fire
We have had a fire every winters day for the last 8 years and always a good healthy one.. We have the chimney swept every year and have never had a problem. I thought tonight I'd throw a small (very small) ply wooden 2 bottle wine box on the fire rather than add more wood from my stock pile....
What a bloody mistake that turned out to be
It started to burn and after a minute or two I did think the flames were on the large size of small....then the roar started to be joined with large bangs, finally as I waited for Fireman Sam the spinning cowl on the top of the roof was glowing red hot and spinning like a gas turbine.
To say I s
t my pants is an understatement and I really do now feel a complete wally... Fortunately aside from some dust in the living room and a bit of a smokey smell in the house there is no damage to the family or house contents.
Be warned guys - don't be a cock when it comes to playing with fire
It wasn't a crate but a small ply 'christmas present' type box that holds two bottles of wine.
The fire brigade suggest a portion if it simply went straight up the chimney and the chimney was essentially on fire - I'm not sure as I think the chimney got so hot (bearing in mind I had had a fire since 2pm today) that the burnt soot etc on the walls caught fire - but then again I'm not a fireman1
I was also told had I not called the brigade there was a chance the chimney would crack and fall into the loft and then who knows.
As it happens, it didn't happen, but I can tell you what will - I decided new years eve not to drink for a couple of weeks, even spent new years eve sober!
bks to that, I'm going to have a large one any second now!
The fire brigade suggest a portion if it simply went straight up the chimney and the chimney was essentially on fire - I'm not sure as I think the chimney got so hot (bearing in mind I had had a fire since 2pm today) that the burnt soot etc on the walls caught fire - but then again I'm not a fireman1
I was also told had I not called the brigade there was a chance the chimney would crack and fall into the loft and then who knows.
As it happens, it didn't happen, but I can tell you what will - I decided new years eve not to drink for a couple of weeks, even spent new years eve sober!
b
ks to that, I'm going to have a large one any second now!No, by the time they arrived the fire had died down somewhat with a few embers coming out of the top spinning cowl, they put a pole up the chimney with a sprayer which sprayed water from the top and put out any further embers and started to cool it down.
I've been told obviously not to have a fire tonight, get it swept and carry on as normal...
Mrs M-J-B isn't quite so keen to have another fire just at the moment!
I've been told obviously not to have a fire tonight, get it swept and carry on as normal...
Mrs M-J-B isn't quite so keen to have another fire just at the moment!
M-J-B said:
Fortunately aside from some dust in the living room and a bit of a smokey smell in the house there is no damage to the family or house contents.
Be warned guys - don't be a cock when it comes to playing with fire
If you have a brick chimney stack then check for cracking of the bricks or mortar.Be warned guys - don't be a cock when it comes to playing with fire
Years ago my brother decided he would get our coal fired boiler nice and hot by stoking it in a similar way he used to fire up steam engines on a railway. He got it all so hot the chimney stack cracked so badly I had to re-build it.
M-J-B said:
Be warned guys - don't be a cock when it comes to playing with fire
I remember about thirty years ago I attempted to get the embers of an old coal fire going in my parent's house by sprinkling half a thimbleful of petrol on it, about the size of your thumbnail. and the explosion blew me backwards right over the top of our sofa.......
Wacky Racer said:
M-J-B said:
Be warned guys - don't be a cock when it comes to playing with fire
I remember about thirty years ago I attempted to get the embers of an old coal fire going in my parent's house by sprinkling half a thimbleful of petrol on it, about the size of your thumbnail. and the explosion blew me backwards right over the top of our sofa.......Not trying to scare you, but some relatives of mine had a similar experience to yours, many years ago. Chimney fire which fire brigade put out, checked over and made sure it was ok. Everyone went to bed, only to wake up in the middle of the night to a house full of thick black acrid smoke. I believe the fire had somehow got into the cavity walls and been burning there for sometime. Luckily they all got out, but it sounded like a particularly frightening experience, so stay alert just incase.
Magog said:
Not trying to scare you, but some relatives of mine had a similar experience to yours, many years ago. Chimney fire which fire brigade put out, checked over and made sure it was ok. Everyone went to bed, only to wake up in the middle of the night to a house full of thick black acrid smoke. I believe the fire had somehow got into the cavity walls and been burning there for sometime. Luckily they all got out, but it sounded like a particularly frightening experience, so stay alert just incase.
I intend to stay up for a while just to be sure - if you don't mind, I won't show your reply to my good lady 
M-J-B said:
No, by the time they arrived the fire had died down somewhat with a few embers coming out of the top spinning cowl, they put a pole up the chimney with a sprayer which sprayed water from the top and put out any further embers and started to cool it down.
I'd have stayed outisde and fired the hose up in a nice high parabola and tried to get it down the cowl that way 
Amazing that we're still allowed to have fires really, seeing as how we can't be trusted to wire a plug or fit a window, and think of the carbons. Wait for a 'fire tax'...
I did a one day fire fighting course years ago and was taught that you have a fair chance of extinguishing a chimney fire by chucking a bucket of water on the fire in the hearth. It creates a bloody great cloud of steam that shoots up the chimney and smothers the fire ... or so the theory goes. never had the chance to try it myself, thank god.
P.S. another recipe for flames out the top of the chimney is to dispose of an old-fashioned model glider in the fireplace. Some friends had a cottage up the side of a mountain in Wales. They built a balsa wood glider with wings made from a balsa frame covered in tissue paper that was then painted with dope to tighten it ... for the unitiated, "dope" is a sort of cellulose varnish. They chucked it off the top of the mountain and it glided for a while before shredding itself in a holly tree. So they took it home and shoved it on the fire. And it ******* exploded. Who'd have thought it? A paper thin suspension of cellulose acetate thrust into a hot log fire. Well spank my ass and call me Sally.
P.S. another recipe for flames out the top of the chimney is to dispose of an old-fashioned model glider in the fireplace. Some friends had a cottage up the side of a mountain in Wales. They built a balsa wood glider with wings made from a balsa frame covered in tissue paper that was then painted with dope to tighten it ... for the unitiated, "dope" is a sort of cellulose varnish. They chucked it off the top of the mountain and it glided for a while before shredding itself in a holly tree. So they took it home and shoved it on the fire. And it ******* exploded. Who'd have thought it? A paper thin suspension of cellulose acetate thrust into a hot log fire. Well spank my ass and call me Sally.
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