Firefighters urge residents to get chimneys swept following spike in house fires

GREATER Manchester Fire and Rescue Service (GMFRS) is urging residents across the city-region to have their chimneys swept at least once a year following an increase in chimney fires in recent months.

Over the last six months - from September 2018 until February 2019 - firefighters have been called to 29 chimney fires. In September, GMFRS attended two chimney fires compared to 12 in January.

GMFRS’ Head of Prevention, Area Manager Paul Etches, said: “The most common cause of chimney fires in Greater Manchester is infrequent sweeping and cleaning, so to prevent putting yourself and your family at risk of a chimney fire we ask you to follow our important safety tips and get your chimney swept at least once a year.”

To prevent chimney fires from taking place, please follow our safety tips:

• Keep chimneys and flues clean and well maintained – have them swept at least once a year
• Make sure embers are properly put out before you go to bed
• Always use a fire guard to protect against flying sparks from hot embers

Paul continued: “Having a working smoke alarm can also give you and your family vital time to get out of the house if a fire did occur. It’s important to test yours regularly and we advise you do this once a week if you can.

“If you don’t have a smoke alarm in each level of your home, book a free Safe and Well visit by calling 0800 555815 so we can fit a smoke alarm, provide you with the necessary fire safety advice, show you how to test your smoke alarms and much more.”

National Association of Chimney Sweeps (NACS) can help you find a chimney sweep near you – visit https://nacs.org.uk/ for more information.

11/02/2019 10:03 AM