CHIMNEY FIRES: #FirePreventionMonth

fire damage minneapolis, fire damage st paulWow! Did the weather in the Minneapolis and Saint Paul area take a quick turn or what?!! In honor of fire prevention month and the coldness I am trying my hardest to embrace I can’t help thinking of sitting by a nice warm fire!

Who doesn’t love the sound and smell of a warm crackling fire! While fireplaces sound soothing and add a decorative touch to any room, my favorite function is of course warmth! Can I get a Hallelujah!

Growing up in a tiny house in Minneapolis, I remember our fireplace being the “center” of the house! It always drew anyone who was in the house to that tiny little living room to bask in the warm glow! As Minnesotans, I think we truly appreciate a real wood-fired fireplace or stove.

With that appreciation has to come responsibility.  Those majestic heat sources can also lead to dangers no homeowner wants to be faced with. Please remember to annually have your fireplace cleaned by a professional to help prevent smoke or fire damage in your home.  Fact – Clean Chimneys don’t catch fire!

Indications of a chimney fire can be:

  • Loud Cracking and popping noise
  • A lot of dense smoke
  • An intense, hot smell

The Basics Of How A Chimney And Floe Work

The chimney and flue are intended to carry gases from your fireplace, wood stove or furnace safely out of your home. This action allows for healthy, breathable air in a home.  It is important, therefore to keep your chimney clean.  A dirty chimney can cause a chimney fire, which will damage structures, destroy your home and potentially injure or kill someone.

Chimney fires can be loud and dramatic, or quiet and slow burning. Some homeowners report hearing a low, rumbling sound that resembles a freight train.  Others never hear a sound. 

Many homeowners are not even aware that they have had a chimney fire. This is scary to me and should be everyone’s main reason for the annual inspection.  

  Here are the signs that professional chimney sweep looks for:

  • “Puffy” or “honeycombed” creosote
  • A warped metal of the damper, metal smoke chamber concoctor pipe or factory-built metal chimney
  • Cracked or collapsed flue tiles, or tiles with large chunks missing
  • Discolored and or distorted rain cap
  • Heat-damaged TV antenna attached to the chimney
  • Creosote flakes and pieces found on the roof or ground
  • Roofing material damaged from hot creosote
  • Cracks in exterior masonry
  • Evidence of smoke escaping through mortar joints of masonry or tile liners.

IF you are buying a new home or have recently purchased a new home with a wood-fired stove or fireplace, you should definitely have it inspected for any of the signs listed above.

24Restore has helped many homeowners in the Minneapolis/St. Paul and surrounding areas recover from soot, smoke or fire damage. Our highly trained team members are equipped with the best equipment in the industry and are available 24 hours and day and 365 days a year.  Our People, Our Equipment and Our Expertise are the difference.

For more than thirty years CSIA, Chimney Safety Institute of America, has worked to prevent chimney fires, dryer fires, and other home heating disasters by educating both homeowners and industry professionals. For more information regarding home fire prevention check out their website at csia.org.

“24Restore came within an hour of our water damage to assess the problem and restore and reconstruct our kitchen and my office. Everyone from 24Restore was professional, kind and did an outstanding job of damage assessment and restoration.”

- Barbara R.

Your service was excellent. The young man was thorough and very dedicated to completing the job. He’s a good one. I would recommend your services to anyone who need them.

- Keith

Your team has been absolutely amazing, professional, sympathetic and wonderful. They took my mess and made it manageable as I shed a few tears, which they also consoled with empathy. At a time when we have floods and tornados city wide you responded within hours. Thank, I am impressed and I have passed the word on to many.

- Genie

Very good experience……everyone I dealt with through 24 Restore was very professional and very kind.

- Nancy

This note is a note of thanks and appreciation of the services provided…..we could even say our home looks better than before we incurred our water damage…Job well done!

- Jay and Susan

I don’t often take the time to write a follow up complimentary letter. However I was very impressed with 24 Restore and felt they went above and beyond to surpass expectations with WOW service. Thank you for the great service and great job that your team did to get my house back in shape.

- Jane

I have recommended them to many of my friends. They are the only service that I have ever used that always gets my stains out and that clean my carpets beautifully. I can’t say enough good thins about them

- Laura

Thank you for all the work put in to get out home……It would have been an impossible task for us to have accomplished in such a short time. We appreciate all that you have done for us! We are so grateful!

- Ken and Kathe

Yes. I appreciated the ability to funnel all activities thru a one-stop shop proved to be very valuable in a disaster project such as ours demo, construction and finish as well as work directly with insurance company. The team has been professional and those on site have been respectful of our home and schedule.

- Reed

Alex did a great job scheduling, coordinating, and keeping me informed. He made sure that everything was done in a timely manner. I always felt that my job was a priority. All the workmen did a great job and were very polite. I am pleased with the results. I would highly recommend your company!

- Linda – Minneapolis

From the time of initial contact to the time of job completion was 24 hrs. Very pleased with job outcome. Will definitely use you again. If ever in need.

- Kevin – St. Paul

Response time was awesome. We we’re bewildered by what was happening and what needed to be done. 24hr came in and took care of what needed to be done.

- Susan – Plymouth

I thought 24 was very professional and timely work.

- Veronica – Lake Elmo

24Restore was very responsive and did a thorough job plus they cleaned up after themselves.

- Jean – St. Cloud

The job was exceptionally well done. You were recommended to me by Dennis Carlson, a freind and I would definatley refer 24restore to friends and family.

- Jan – Anoka

Very Professional!

- Gordon – Andover

Everyone was on top of everything and got back to me in a reasonable time. Clean up was done absolutely perfect at the end of each job.

- Pam – Arden Hills

The guys who worked here were great, polite, personable and hard workers. They did a great job! So thankful this is over!

- Ron and Jackie – Minneapolis

Working with the employees at 24restore has been an easy process. They aimed to please.

Kudos to Shelli Abraham especially, she worked with the mortgage company and insurance company so I didn’t have to, I’m a caregiver for my husband with Dementia, she took the pressure off having to deal with them, thanks Shelli.

- Sharon and Ray Kelly – Maple Grove MN
Over 2000 Reviews!