Warm Weather Means MORE Chimney Fires in Vermont.

Vermont is having an unseasonably warm winter, and Fire Chief Doug Winot, of Townshend, says that means an increase in chimney fires.

How does one follow the other? Well, according to an interview Winot did with the Brattleboro Reformer when people burn green wood, as opposed to dried firewood, or have a fire that doesn’t burn hot enough, it creates highly flammable “black glaze,” which builds up inside chimneys. Then, when people shut down their wood stoves because the weather is warm, the sludge catches on fire, closes off the chimney, and spreads into the partition walls.

Already, Winot says, there have been two chimney fires caused by this in the past week.

The solution? Have your chimney cleaned every two or three months, and keep your fire insurance up to date.