Fire crews tackle six chimney fires (From Malvern Gazette)

Fire crews tackle six chimney fires

11:55am Monday 21st January 2013 in News By James Connell

FIREFIGHTERS were called to six chimney fires over the weekend.
 

Tenbury firefighters were called to a chimney fire at a farm at Rochford just after 6pm on Friday evening while a crew from Evesham went out to a chimney fire at a house in Village Street, Harvington, at around 6.25pm.
 

Leominster firefighters then attended a chimney fire at The White Swan in Eardisland at 6.30pm the same evening, and then a crew from Bromsgrove were called to reports of a chimney fire at The Bell in Stourbridge Road, Belbroughton, just before 8.30pm.
 

At 11.10am the following morning, crews from Stourport and Kidderminster removed a woodburning stove from a property in Hanstone Road, Stourport, following a chimney fire. At 8.30pm on Saturday evening, two crews from Malvern made safe a fireplace at a house in Fromes Hill, Ledbury, after a quantity of logs stored above a woodburning stove caught fire.
 

Station commander Alan Haley from Hereford and Worcester Fire and Rescue Service said: “Thankfully none of these incidents caused serious damage or injury but chimney fires do have the potential to spread to other parts of a property if not detected and dealt with early.
“Many chimney are avoidable simply through good care and maintenance, and we would urge anyone whose chimney is due a clean to book an appointment now to prevent the build-up of soot and debris and the increased risk of a fire.”
 

Full chimney safety advice and a list of approved chimney sweeps operating locally is available from the service’s website at hwfire.org.uk under the Your Safety heading.