By Timothy A. Strother
Tribune-Review
Copyright 2007 Tribune Review Publishing Company
All Rights Reserved
GREENSBURG, Pa. — The night of Jan. 3 seemed like a typical evening for JoAnne Kubina and her husband, John. The couple was getting ready to turn in for the evening in their Perry Township home when they heard a cracking noise coming from upstairs.
“It was about 9:55 and my husband had just gone up to bed. He heard the cracking noise, and a few minutes later, the whole upstairs of the house was on fire,” Kubina said.
Fire officials determined the red-hot chimney had sparked the blaze. Although Kubina and her husband escaped without injury, she said their home sustained extensive fire, smoke and water damage. She also said the chimney, which had been installed several months before the blaze, should not have caused a fire.
“The chimney was supposed to be fireproof. I don’t know if the chimney had some sort of defect or what was wrong, but this should have never happened,” Kubina said. “Right now, I just don’t know what to say.”
Thankfully, Kubina said, the metal chimney was fastened to the home’s exterior, or the fire might have been much worse.
“We were just going to bed, and it happened just that quick,” she said.
Volunteer firefighters from Smithton and Perry Township responded to the blaze, which was contained to the upstairs and extinguished within a few hours.
Chimney fires are not as common as they once were. A.J. Boni, assistant fire chief for the Perry Township Volunteer Fire Department, said chimney fires do not make up a majority of the calls received by his station. Boni has been the assistant fire chief in Perry Township for about 10 years, and said the department averages about two or three chimney fires a year.
The most effective method of preventing chimney fires is proper maintenance, Boni said, especially with older chimneys. Over time, chimneys can begin to deteriorate, which can produce holes in the mortar where flames can easily escape.
Boni cautioned homeowners who use wood burners as an alternative heating source to use only properly seasoned firewood and to avoid burning rubber, finished wood, or any other substance that could cause a buildup of creosote in the chimney.
“Visual inspections are key to preventing these types of fires,” Boni said. “You can’t simply put up a chimney and forget about it. They have to be properly maintained.”
Boni recalled a fire in which a brand-new home was heavily damaged because of a poorly maintained chimney.
“I don’t think anything today is fireproof. You have to use extreme caution and ensure that the chimney is properly maintained in order to avoid a fire,” Boni said. He also recommended that homeowners have their chimneys professionally cleaned at least once a year.
In addition to proper chimney maintenance, Boni noted the importance of smoke detectors.
“Smoke detectors definitely work,” he said. Boni recommended that homeowners periodically check the batteries in their smoke detectors. As a rule of thumb, he said the batteries should be changed twice a year -- once in the fal, and once in the spring.
Boni said an easy way to remember when to change the batteries is to use the calendar. Change the batteries when daylight-saving time begins and ends.
Because of rising energy costs, residents are seeking alternative, cost-effective methods of heating their homes during the winter. Although these methods can save consumers money, Boni reiterated the importance of safety in using them in the home.
“Always err on the side of safety,” he said.