Update: Olympic View House Fire on December 3rd

The Kitsap County Fire Marshal has determine the fire was caused by a failed flu pip. Cracks in the horizontal pipe of the wood stove led to fire spreading within the walls and eventually through the wall into the living room. (original press release posted below)

Photos of pipe are attached, courtesy of the Kitsap County Fire Marshal’s Office

– Over time the soot in your chimney is refined by heat and becomes an extremely flammable material called creosote. What most people don’t realize is the creosote in their chimney is flammable and all it takes is a tiny spark or ember to ignite the creosote and start a chimney fire, where the actual walls of your chimney flue are on fire. Chimney fires burn at over 2,000 degrees and can easily spread to the rest of your house.

– You need a chimney sweep to remove the creosote from your chimney flue. Chimneys and pipes like the ones on wood stoves are designed for smoke to pass through at relatively low temperatures; they are not built to withstand chimney fires.