Firefighters warn homeowners to take care using wood and kerosene to heat their homes
Published 12:00 am Wednesday, December 2, 2009
By Jessie Burchette
jburchette@salisburypost.com
With the worst of the winter cold ahead, firefighters are warning homeowners to take special care in using wood and kerosene.
Some situations firefighters encounter make them shake their heads.
Recently while East Spencer firefighters were trying to suppress a fire in a house, they found two full 5-gallon cans of kerosene inside the living area of the house.
“That’s very scary,” Battalion Chief Robert Shrack said this week. “With the vapors, it could explode. People need to keep kerosene outside the house.”
With the economy souring and kerosene selling for $4-plus a gallon, Bostian Heights Fire Chief Mike Zimmerman worries about people turning to wood heat to save on heating costs.
In his decades as a firefighter, he has seen a little bit of everything.
He recalled one case a few years ago where a family moved into a home. The man decided to put in a wood stove.
He pulled the cover plate off where a stove had previously connected to the thimble and chimney.
He fired up the stove and within a short time, firefighters were on the scene trying to put out the fire.
Zimmerman said the previous occupant of the house had torn out the chimney. The new occupant ran a pipe into the wall.
Zimmerman said many houses built in the late ’70s and early ’80s had fireplaces built mostly for show.
He advises anyone planning to use wood to have the chimney and fireplace checked out by professionals.
“Chimney sweeps can do that. It could save their house,” Zimmerman said.
Another concern is the type of wood.
Zimmerman said people who aren’t used to heating with wood and are trying to save money may burn pine or green wood. Both build up deposits in the chimneys and can set the house afire in minutes.
You may contact Jessie Burchette at 704-797-4254.