There have already been 7 chimney fires in Cranbrook and Kimberley areas that KMS has been called to for repairs. A chimney fire can quickly engulf the chimney and surrounding area. Here are 5 things you can do to prevent this in your home.

1. The most obvious way is to get an annual chimney sweep to clear out creosote buildup. (A homeowner can potentially do this themselves with the proper tools, sufficient experience and appropriate techniques).

2. Check your wood stove/fireplace for seasonal damage from birds, rodents or squirrels (ensure you have the appropriate chimney cap to prevent this to begin with). Check over the pipe, door seals, glass and firebrick for damage. A professional chimney sweep would do this inspection post-sweep.

3. Consider investing in a moisture reader to avoid burning unseasoned wood. Green wood has a high amout of sap and when burned can quickly plug up the chimney. It should read less than 25% to burn most efficiently. You can also check a number of other ways: loose bark, hollow-sounding, no sappy smell, and radial cracking all indicate drier wood.

4. Do not burn anything other than wood in your fireplace/wood stove, ie. trash, pressure-treated wood, cardboard.

5. Do not turn your stove too low too soon without a decent bed of coals, doing so can plug your catalyst and chimney with creosote.

No one wants to fork out their holiday money to heat with electricity, so burn safely!