Current Press Releases
Edina Fire Department responds to first fireplace fire of season
Edina, Minn., Oct. 31, 2008 -- The
temperature is dropping outside and the chances of heating equipment-related
fires inside homes are going up with the thermostat. The Edina Fire
Department responded to the City’s first fireplace fire of the season over
the weekend.
At approximately 4 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 15,
Edina firefighters responded to a report of a fire in the wall of a
residence in the 6100 block of Arctic Way. Upon arrival, fire officials
learned that the homeowner had started a fire around 11a.m. in an outdoor
fireplace attached to the house. When the homeowner entered his basement
several hours later, he encountered a cloud of smoke hovering in the air and
more smoke billowing out of the wall near a fireplace that shared the same
chimney as the adjacent outdoor fireplace he had lit earlier in the day.
Upon peeling back wood paneling, the homeowner discovered the fire in the
wall and called 911. Fire crews opened the interior wall and removed part of
the outside fireplace to extinguish the fire. Damage was confined to the
exterior wall and part of the fireplace, and the homeowner was advised that
it was okay to stay in the house.
According to Edina Fire Marshal Tom Jenson,
many older homes were built with wood framing actually touching the brick of
fireplaces within the wall. Over the years, a chemical change can take place
in the wood making it easier to ignite when over-heated.
”If you live in an older home and you don’t
know the history of your fireplace, you need to limit the amount of time you
let a fire burn, said Jenson. “It is also important to have your fireplace
inspected annually by a qualified person and cleaned when necessary.”
For more information, visit
www.CityofEdina.com/Fire or call the Edina Fire Department at 952-826-0378.
|
