Firefighters issue fresh safety warning after another Wigan borough chimney blaze

A crew from Atherton was called to a home in St John’s Road, Mosley Common, at 6.51pm on Wednesday January 18 after the occupants noticed that the thermostat had suddenly rocketed to maximum and that embers were billowing into the sky outside.

Water had to be squirted up the flue and down the chimney in order to put out the flames, causing something of a mess in the room but the home was spared further damage because of the couple’s and the firefighters’ swift action.

Watch manager Steve Green said afterwards: “The occupants said that they had had the chimney swept last year, only burnt the right fuel, had had the burner for a while but hadn’t used it lately.

"But something went wrong, whether it was because the chimney needed another sweep or incorrect materials had been put on the burner or some other reason. Lack of maintenance appeared to be a factor in any case.

"Chimneys need to be swept regularly – I’d say at least once a year, perhaps every six months if you are using them a lot.

"Only use clean wood and materials as fuel and make sure you have log burners installed professionally and not try to do it yourself using tips from the internet.

"Thankfully the fire was caught early. There wasn’t any damage until we arrived but unfortunately you inevitably have to make something of a mess in order to put out this sort of fire even though we don’t use excessive amounts of water.

"The carpet was messed up around the fireplace and the room smelt of smoke afterwards but there was no marking on the walls for instance so I’d say damage was moderate.”

The incident was the latest in a series of chimney blazes over the last two months in the borough. Firefighters had predicted there would be an upsurge during the winter as people turn to log burners and open fires in order to minimise the use of gas, oil and electricity as fuel prices spiralled.