Most people picture a chimney fire as flames shooting from the top of the chimney and a sound like a freight train. Those happen. Far more often a chimney fire is slow and quiet, burns itself out unnoticed, and is discovered months later by a camera. AM Chimney Sweep inspects and repairs chimney flues in Ridgewood, and this page covers how to recognize the aftermath and what can be done about it.
Older flues, heavily used
Census Bureau estimates show that nearly four in ten Ridgewood homes were built before 1940 and about another quarter in the 1950s. The great majority are single-family houses. That is a lot of clay-tile flues that have served working fireplaces for seventy to a hundred years, and clay tile does not tolerate sudden, intense heat.
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020–2024 five-year estimates.
What a chimney fire does to a flue
Creosote burns much hotter than a normal fire. When a deposit ignites inside the flue, the tile next to it heats in seconds while the rest stays cool. Clay cannot expand that unevenly. It cracks, often from top to bottom, and the mortar between tiles can be blown out. The flue may look fine from the fireplace and still have lost its ability to contain heat and smoke.
Nine signs a chimney fire has already happened
- Creosote that looks puffy, ash-gray or honeycombed instead of flat and black
- Flakes or chunks of burnt creosote in the firebox, on the roof or on the ground
- Cracked flue tiles, or tiles with long vertical splits
- Pieces of tile in the firebox or behind the damper
- A damper, smoke shelf or cap that is warped or discolored by heat
- A metal cap with a rainbow or blued tint
- Cracks in the exterior masonry that were not there before
- Smoke stains or smoke escaping from mortar joints on the outside of the chimney
- Scorched or damaged roofing around the chimney
If you ever hear a roaring or rumbling from the chimney, see dense smoke or flames at the top, or smell intense heat, get everyone out and call 911. Do not use the fireplace again until it has been inspected.
After any suspected fire: inspect before you burn
The Chimney Safety Institute of America calls for a Level 2 inspection after any event likely to have damaged the chimney, and a chimney fire is the clearest example. A Level 2 inspection includes a camera scan of the entire flue, which is the only way to see tile damage above arm’s reach.
Repair or reline?
When repair in place is possible
If the tiles are still in position and structurally sound, with damage limited to open joints, hairline cracks or a roughened surface, the flue can often be restored without taking it apart. We use genuine HeatShield, a refractory material made for this purpose, to refill joints or to resurface the whole flue. The process is described on our chimney flue repair page.
When the flue needs a liner
If tiles are broken, displaced or missing, a coating has nothing sound to bond to. The flue needs a new liner.
Which applies is decided by the camera, and we show you the footage so you can see it for yourself.
A note on insurance
Damage from a sudden chimney fire is the kind of loss some homeowner policies cover, while gradual wear usually is not. We cannot speak for your insurer, but a dated written report with photos is what an adjuster will ask for. Call your agent before repairs begin.
Preventing the next one
- Have the flue swept before deposits reach one-eighth of an inch
- Burn dry, seasoned wood and avoid long, smoldering fires
- Keep a cap on the flue so rain does not mix with creosote
- Have the chimney inspected once a year
Schedule a flue inspection in Ridgewood
Call (862) 225-6529 or contact us online. To see a flue restored with HeatShield, read our flue restoration project in Plainsboro Township; other completed jobs are in Our Work.