General News
15 July, 2021
CFA responds to chimney fire
A QUICK response from Country Fire Authority (CFA) brigades brought a chimney fire under control in Terang last Friday night.
A QUICK response from Country Fire Authority (CFA) brigades brought a chimney fire under control in Terang last Friday night.
A CFA spokesperson said local brigades were alerted to the fire at about 9.20pm on Friday night.
“Responding CFA brigades determined a chimney fire had escaped and entered the roof cavity,” the spokesperson said.
“The fire was declared under control at 10.15pm.
“Responding firefighters were able to bring the fire under control, ventilate the house and hand control of the property back to the owners at 11pm.”
The CFA spokesperson said three appliances had responded to the blaze.
“We had two appliances respond from the Terang CFA brigade, and one from the Noorat brigade,” the spokesperson said.
“Fire Rescue Victoria also supported us on the scene with one fire truck.”
A CFA spokesperson said Victorian fire services see a large number of chimney fires from both fireplaces and wood heaters every year.
In 2020, CFA and Fire Rescue Victoria responded to 192 chimney fires, 104 of which occurred during the winter months.
The CFA recommends chimney and heating tips including:
Have chimneys cleaned annually and gas heaters inspected and serviced every two years;
A secure guard or fireproof screen should always be used to prevent sparks and wood from falling out of the fireplace and causing a fire or burn injury;
Never dry clothes or have flammable items such as curtains close to a heater or open fire – make sure they are positioned at least one metre away and constantly monitored to reduce risk of a fire;
Children and pets must be supervised near all types of heating. Maintain a safe distance between children and heating; and
Always extinguish any open flames, and turn off heaters before going to bed or leaving the house.