Chimney fire: what to do, the signs and what causes it

Updated October 2, 2026 · Every figure checked twice against its source · How we verify

If you have a chimney fire, call 911 before you try anything else, even if you think the fire is out; both fire districts say to close the damper and not to use water, and Livermore Fire Protection District says to get everyone out of the house. Ebbetts Pass Fire District in California says to call 911 any time there is a chimney or flue fire, because fire may have spread into the walls, attic or roof. Chimney fires confined to the chimney or flue made up 3.4% of residential structure fires in fire department records for 2020 to 2024, and 57.4% of them happened in December, January and February.

What to do if you have a chimney fire

The two fire districts' advice, in Ebbetts Pass Fire District's order, with Livermore Fire Protection District's additions:

1. Call 911. Ebbetts Pass Fire District says to call 9-1-1 before trying to put out the fire. Livermore Fire Protection District in Colorado says to call 911 immediately, even if you think the fire is out, so firefighters can check the roof, the attic and the outside for escaped embers.
2. Close the damper. Ebbetts Pass Fire District says to close the damper, and with an airtight stove to keep the door closed to cut off the air supply to the firebox. Livermore says closing the damper after any attempt at suppression may help cut off oxygen from the fire.
3. Do not use water. Ebbetts Pass says never use water, because a stove could crack if it is too hot; Livermore says to avoid it, because pouring water on a chimney fire can cause steam explosions or damage the flue.
4. Check the roof for sparks and fire spread (Ebbetts Pass Fire District).
5. Get everyone out of the house (Livermore Fire Protection District).

On fighting the fire, the districts are cautious. Livermore says it generally does not recommend trying to fight the fire yourself, but that discharging a dry chemical extinguisher from the fireplace into the chimney may help, and that commercial extinguishers made for chimney fires exist. Ebbetts Pass says that if a stove is not airtight and the fire in the firebox is small, a chemical fire extinguisher might slow the fire.

Signs of a chimney fire

CSIA says homeowners report a low rumbling sound that reminds them of a freight train or a low flying airplane. Many chimney fires give no sign at all: CSIA says the majority of chimney fires go undetected, because slow-burning ones lack the air or fuel to be dramatic, yet reach temperatures high enough to damage the chimney and nearby parts of the house. Those are found later, at an inspection.

Will a chimney fire burn itself out?

A fire that seems to have stopped is still a 911 call. Ebbetts Pass Fire District says to call even if you feel you have the problem under control, because there could be fire that has extended into the walls, attic or roof, and Livermore says the fire department can check the roof and attic for escaped embers. Damage stays behind either way: CSIA says the heat of a chimney fire in a masonry chimney, around 2,000°F, can melt mortar, crack tiles, cause liners to collapse and damage the outer masonry, and Ebbetts Pass says chimneys and stove pipes are not built to withstand fires that can burn at 2,000 degrees.

What causes chimney fires?

Creosote. CSIA says creosote is the residue that condenses on the inner walls of the chimney as smoke flows up into the cooler flue, that it is highly combustible, and that if it builds up in sufficient quantities and the flue temperature is high enough, the result could be a chimney fire. It names three conditions that speed the buildup:

• Restricted air supply: closed glass doors, a damper not opened wide enough, or a stove's damper or air inlets closed down too soon or too much.
• Unseasoned wood, which keeps the smoke cooler.
• Cooler than normal chimney temperatures. CSIA adds that overloading a wood stove's firebox to get a longer burn also contributes to creosote buildup.

Livermore Fire Protection District gives the same causes: creosote forms when wood burns incompletely, especially in low-temperature fires; burning unseasoned, wet or green wood produces more smoke and creosote; and thick layers can ignite with just a spark. Ebbetts Pass says fire can spread from the chimney through cracks, loose mortar, separations in flue pipe and loose or missing flue caps or screens into the walls or onto the roof. For a chimney liner after fire damage, see chimney liner cost.

How common are chimney fires?

Chimney fires confined to the chimney or flue made up 3.4% of residential structure fires in fire department records (NFIRS) for 2020 to 2024: 48,362 of 1,419,666 records. The share fell from 3.8% in 2020 to 2.9% in 2024. Where you live matters far more than the national figure:

By state, chimney fires were 19.5% of residential structure fire records in Vermont, 17.3% in Maine, 16.2% in New Hampshire, 12.5% in Idaho and 12.3% in Montana, against 1.4% in Texas and 0.6% in Florida. Every state is in chimney-fires-by-state.csv, free to reuse with a link to this page.

After a chimney fire

CSIA says not to use the chimney until it has been swept and evaluated by a qualified chimney professional, since it may have suffered joint failure, metal fatigue or structural cracking that often cannot be seen from above or below. Livermore says not to use the fireplace again until it is inspected and cleared by a professional. The evaluation includes an internal video inspection, CSIA says, with a camera run through the chimney to check the flue tiles and mortar joints, or a metal chimney for joint separation, warping and open seams. CSIA also says most chimney fire damage is considered a covered loss under homeowners' insurance: ask the sweep to document the damage and the creosote with photos before the chimney is swept, and to give you a written repair estimate for your adjuster. Inspection levels and prices are in chimney inspection, and repairs in chimney repair cost.

Chimney fire prevention

The prevention advice centers on yearly care. NFPA 211, as quoted by CSIA, says chimneys, fireplaces and vents shall be inspected at least once a year, with cleaning done if necessary. Livermore adds three habits: schedule an annual inspection by a certified chimney sweep, avoid slow, smoldering fires, and do not overload the firebox or close the damper too early. "Clean chimneys don't catch fire," CSIA says, and Ebbetts Pass says the chimney needs annual cleaning and a chimney sweep. The schedule by appliance is in how often a chimney should be swept. To have a sweep inspect and clean your chimney, use the form below and we will send your request to a company that serves your ZIP code.

Sources

1. Ebbetts Pass Fire District (Arnold, California), "Check Your Chimney or Flue to Prevent Fires": epfd.org
2. Livermore Fire Protection District (Livermore, Colorado), "Chimney Fires": livermorefireco.gov
3. Chimney Safety Institute of America, "Preventing Chimney Fires": csia.org
4. Chimney Safety Institute of America, "What you need to know after a chimney fire": csia.org
5. Chimney Safety Institute of America, Homeowner resources and FAQs (NFPA 211 quote): csia.org
6. FEMA, OpenFEMA, NFIRS Annual Data, fire files 2020 to 2024, downloaded September 25, 2026: fema.gov; our analysis: chimney-fires-by-month.csv, chimney-fires-by-year.csv, chimney-fires-by-state.csv

Fire district and CSIA pages read October 2, 2026; NFIRS files downloaded September 25, 2026. This product uses the Federal Emergency Management Agency's OpenFEMA API, but is not endorsed by FEMA. The Federal Government or FEMA cannot vouch for the data or analyses derived from these data after the data have been retrieved from the Agency's website(s).