Firefighters issue warning after wood burner fire almost spreads across house
A fire in the wood burner almost spread through the house - Credit: Archant
Firefighters are urging homeowners to have their chimneys serviced after a wood burner almost spread throughout a house.
Two engines from Colchester were called to a property in Heath Road on Saturday night (January 23), after a fire inside the wood burner had grown out of control.
Four people inside the house fled for their safety.
Firefighters had managed to extinguish the fire within half an hour and prevented the fire from spreading.
Peter Donovan, watch manager at Colchester Fire Station, said: "Our crews did a really professional job of extinguishing this fire quickly before it spread.
"However, these incidents are particularly common at this time of year when people are using chimneys and wood burners and often haven't had them serviced.
"We believe this incident was caused due to a faulty door seal in the wood burner, which allowed a flow of air in to accelerate the fire.
Most Read
- 1 Injured man rescued after 'fall from height' on building site
- 2 Rise in Ipswich coronavirus cases 'a wake up call'
- 3 Swan dead after dog attack
- 4 'Life saving' roundabout completed at accident blackspot
- 5 Covid fines more than double in Suffolk during third lockdown
- 6 Sentence of Ipswich man caught with indecent images is adjourned
- 7 Air ambulance called after car collides with pedestrian
- 8 Children's party reported at Needham Lake as council works to 'discourage gatherings' at beauty spot
- 9 Seal found with plastic wrapped around neck at beach
- 10 Arsonist jailed for torching brother's stables and barn
"This could have been avoided if the wood burner was serviced before use - so please, if you're planning on using your chimney or wood burner, don't take the risk - get them serviced first."
No-one was harmed during the incident.
