Fire Safety

October may officially be fire safety month, but at Lee’s Firewood, we’re thinking about fire safety all year round. Burning inherently comes with risk, and we always do our best to provide the best and most accurate safety tips possible to our customers when it comes to using our wood. In that spirit, we’ve compiled a list of safety tips from an interview with one of the experts- Huntersville Fire Department Public Information Officer, Bill Suthard.

Q. What are the safest kinds of wood to burn inside?

A. "Clean, untreated, dry, seasoned hardwoods are the safest. Examples of hardwoods are: hickory, maple, oak, ash and poplar." 

Q. We often recommend that customers avoid pine for indoor burning. Can you explain why pine is a danger inside?

A. "Pine has a high resin content which can lead to a buildup of creosote (a toxic, oily,

Pine is never safe to burn indoors.

flammable liquid) inside the chimney. This is dangerous as it's flammable and buildup could lead to a chimney fire."

Q. What are some misconceptions you often see when it comes to burning wood, inside and outside?

A. " A common misconception is that a fire place can warm the home as efficiently as a wood stove. This is not accurate - a wood burning stove is more efficient and produces more heat output. It is also safer than a fire place.

Wood Burning stoves burn hotter and safer than fireplaces

Another common misconception is folks believe the fire is out when they no longer see 'flames'. This is also not accurate. Coals can hold heat for quite a while, for multiple days even. When you clean out the fire place or stove, we recommend using a metal shovel place the coals into a metal container and take it outside. DO NOT place hot coals into one of our town's rollout trashcan bins! Those plastic bins will burn a home easily. "

Q . What are some common causes of fire from wood and how should they be avoided?

A. "Wood is a fuel for fire. You should be extremely careful with wood around fire. Never overload your stove or fireplace. If you use damp or unseasoned wood, that could lead to heavy smoke inside the home  (unseasoned wood: is freshly cut wood that has high water content."

Q. What are the recommendations for safely maintaining chimneys and wood stoves?

A. "Wood stoves are slightly easier to maintain but both require regular maintenance. The most important is cleaning, cleaning out the fire box (the enclosed chamber or box within the fire place) and cleaning the chimney (removing creosote buildup, ash, soot and other debris). You should inspect them regularly, both before and after use. You should also maintain the fireplace  glass door, screen partitions and/or the door to the wood stove.

Also - an important tip from us here at HFD is that you ensure you have working smoke and CO (Carbon Monoxide) alarms. Smoke alarms have a manufacturing date stamp on them...they typically expire in 10 years from the manufacturing date (look at the date and do the math by adding 10 years). CO alarms are very important. Carbon Monoxide is colorless and odorless and it can kill. CO alarms have a life span of 5-7 years, they too have a manufacturing date stamped on the bottom."

Q. What should someone do if a fire starts to become out of control?

A. "If the fire exits the fire place, the stove or if you have start to see heavy smoke inside your home...immediately exit the area or the home. Once safely outside, call 911 and report the fire. Do not attempt to fight the fire, stay outside, stay safe and give 911 your address and wait for fire department."

Q. Are there any items that someone should keep near a firepit/place for fire safety (like extinguishers or fire blankets, etc.)?

A. Certainly you can keep something near the fire place or stove to help you in the event of a fire that gets out of the fire place or stove - but we stand with what we previously mentioned - get out and stay out while calling 911. If you decide to try to 'contain' the fire...using an extinguisher and/or closing the damper MAY help. Please never put water on the fire. The steam conversion (pouring water onto a fire produces steam) could burn you."

Q. Are there any other tips, recommendations, advice, or anything else you think people should know?

A. "Our safety tips: 

      + Know what you're doing, have a plan ahead of time and do research before burning.  

      + NEVER burn a fire while you're sleeping...use extra blankets at night to stay warm and extinguish those fires before bedtime.       

      + Keep anything that can burn at least 3 feet away. A 3 ft clear zone around the stove or fireplace. This includes keeping the kiddos and pets away as well. 

Never try to extinguish an out of control fire yourself. Exit the house and call 911.

      + Have working (in date) smoke and CO alarms in your home (ALWAYS) 

      + OPEN the damper before lighting a fire in your fire place (we respond to a lot of calls every year for closed dampers and homes full of smoke) don't forget - smoke contains carbon monoxide and is deadly. 

      + Rule of thumb - if you are burning, your damper should be open. Additionally - once the fire is COMPLETELY out, close the damper.

      + Have your fireplace, stove and chimney inspected (and or cleaned) by a professional annually. "