10/01/2026
October 4 - 10 is National Fire Prevention Week. The timing is interesting to us here at Chimney Techs, because it also coincides with cooler weather. The connection between National Fire Prevention Week and cooler weather is that it is almost wood stove and fireplace season.
To me, it is often ironic that the only thing standing after a house fire is the chimney, especially if the chimney is what actually caused the fire. Chimney fires are a large contributor to homes burning every winter. The easiest way to prevent this is to service your fireplace (or wood stove) annually. I spoke to someone this week that called for a chimney cleaning and they told me that they knew that their fireplace had not been cleaned in 5 years! Creosote can build up very quickly, and it absolutely can lead to a chimney fire that can burn your house down.
Another leading cause of house fires are incorrectly installed fireplaces or stoves. If you have moved into a house that you did not see built yourself, you really need to have it inspected and cleaned before you use it. Chimney Techs has inspected three homes in the last few days that, if they had used their fireplaces much, would have likely led to a bad fire because they were incorrectly installed.
I feel like we harp on this at Chimney Techs all of the time. I was discussing with Nick this morning via text how much NFPA code drives almost everything that we do. Whether it is Chimney Techs or another certified chimney professional, please have your fireplace checked out and cleaned before you use it.
