Photo: Osoyoos Fire Department.

A chimney fire in Osoyoos is prompting local firefighters to warn homeowners with chimneys to keep them properly maintained.

Osoyoos Fire Department (OFD) responded to the fire around 6 p.m. on Jan. 16 at an acreage along 62nd avenue on the east side of Osoyoos in the rural area.

A total of three engines and 13 firefighters attended.

“Access was challenging due to the recent significant snowfall in Osoyoos and this being an acreage along a long narrow driveway. We had decided to put snow chains on our engine the night previous in advance of the snowfall, which made our response to this address effective, given the conditions,” said Dave McMahon, OFD Fire Chief.

“Arriving on scene we observed a chimney with significant flame and smoke. During size-up, command looked for any fire extension into the roof void and had crews get to work, setting up access to the roof via ground ladders. Crews engaged in effective firefighting methods, getting the chimney fire under control and then successfully extinguishing the fire. A thorough check of the chimney and voids throughout the home was conducted, to ensure no fire extension had occurred.”

 

Photo: Osoyoos Fire Department.

McMahon and the OFD gave the following tips to avoid this scenario happening in the future:

  1. It is important to have a professional clean your chimney. Although this home owner believed they had diligently cleaned their chimney, there were debris and or a internal built up coating of the chimney that caused this fire.
  2. Only burn organic material that is dry and seasoned (no green wood).
  3. Do not burn any non organic material such as garbage/plastics, as this coats the internal surface of the chimney – eventually forming a bitumen type of fuel that will burn violently.
  4. If you have a cedar shake roof, you are at a higher risk of becoming a structure fire when it originates from a chimney fire such as this. Again regular cleaning by a professional reduces this risk.

“Crews did a great job in containing this fire and keeping it confined to the chimney in challenging conditions,” McMahon said.