Fireplaces and wood stoves safety tips

• Have the chimney inspected before the beginning of every heating season and cleaned by a professional if necessary.
• Be sure that there is a protective screen placed around a wood stove or fireplace to prevent a young child from being burned.
• Before starting a fire, check to see that the flue is open.
• Fire salts, which produce a multicolored effect when thrown on a wood fire, contain heavy metals and also should be kept away from children. (If eaten they can cause intense gastrointestinal irritation and vomiting.)
• Do not hang Christmas stockings above a lit fireplace.
• Do not burn Christmas wrappings in the fireplace, as this can quickly cause a chimney fire. They also may contain metallic materials which can be toxic if burned.
• Do not dispose of evergreens or wreaths by burning them in a fireplace or wood stove. Burning pine can cause creosote deposits in a chimney and the heat of blazing evergreens can ignite these deposits causing a chimney fire.
• Before closing the flue, be sure the fire is completely out.
• Remove ashes in a metal container and be certain they are completely out. Discard them well away from the house.