The Norman Transcript

Headlines

Discussion

November 13, 2012

Residents need to clean chimneys

By Jessica Bruha The Norman Transcript

NORMAN — No injuries in house fire Monday

A house fire occurred Monday morning on the 5700 block of East Franklin Road.

The fire started from a chimney. While it didn’t cause any damage and there were no injuries, it served as a reminder for residents to clean their fireplaces, Deputy Fire Chief Jim Bailey said.

“It’s that time of year that residents need to have their chimneys checked and make sure they’re clean,” Bailey said.

As the temperatures dip below freezing and more people begin to use fireplaces, Bailey said they need to make sure they’re clean to prevent instances like this.

“It’s extremely dangerous this time of year,” he said. “Everybody’s firing up their fireplaces.”

More than one-third of Americans use fireplaces, wood stoves and other fuel-fired appliances as primary heat sources in their homes, according to the U.S. Fire Administration.

“Heating fires account for 36 percent of residential home fires in rural areas every year. Often, these fires are due to creosote buildup in chimneys and stovepipes. All home heating systems require regular maintenance to function safely and efficiently,” according to the USFA website.

Some tips the website offers to safely burn fuels include:

· Never use flammable liquids to start a fire.

· Use only seasoned hardwood. Soft, moist wood accelerates creosote buildup. In pellet stoves, burn only dry, seasoned wood pellets.

· Build small fires that burn completely and produce less smoke.

· Never burn cardboard boxes, trash or debris in your fireplace or wood stove.

· When building a fire, place logs at the rear of the fireplace on an adequate supporting grate.

· Never leave a fire in the fireplace unattended. Extinguish the fire before going to bed or leaving the house.

· Allow ashes to cool before disposing of them. Place ashes in a tightly covered metal container and keep the ash container at least 10 feet from your home and any other nearby buildings. Never empty the ash directly into a trash can. Douse and saturate ashes with water.

For local news and more, subscribe to The Norman Transcript Smart Edition, or our print edition.

Text Only | Photo Reprints
Headlines
  • Tornado 1 Norman fire chief says public storm facilities don’t offer adequate protection

    Oklahomans are always going to need a safe place to take cover when severe weather hits, as it so often does during the spring and summer months, but officials have found many problems tied to public shelters....

    June 18, 2013 1 Photo

  • Schools need better shelters during storms

    Analysis and improvement of schools’ storm procedures is nothing new for scholars like Stephanie Hoekstra, whose master’s thesis was based on this topic in 2011....

    June 18, 2013

  • Medical witness says Bransby could not have survived gunshot wound

    Evidence presented Monday during Day 4 of a manslaughter trial in Cleveland County District Court indicates that victim Kelsey Bransby was shot at close range. Bransby, 19, was found unconscious a few hours after being shot in the head on ...

    June 18, 2013

  • NPS budget anticipates $91M revenue

    The Norman Board of Education approved a Fiscal Year 2014 budget Monday that exceeds expected revenue by $3.1 million....

    June 18, 2013

  • County approves funding for nonprofit services

    Cleveland County commissioners approved agreements and funding for the Women’s Resource Center for $40,000 and with Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA) for $62,000. Those agencies provide court services, commissioners said....

    June 18, 2013

  • Almost business as usual for Moore City Council

    The Moore City Council returned to normal business at Monday night’s meeting, dealing with zoning change requests and appointments to the parks board. The majority of city business, however, continues to deal with tornado recovery and ...

    June 18, 2013

  • Investors push stocks higher

    NEW YORK — Investors on Wall Street are playing a guessing game with the Federal Reserve. On Monday, they guessed that the central bank will continue trying to prop up the economy and sent stocks higher....

    June 18, 2013

  • WikiLeaks trial focuses on U.S. Army email list

    FORT MEADE, Md. — A huge database of troop names and email addresses an Army private allegedly downloaded to a personal computer could be used by foreign adversaries to launch cyberattacks on service members, a government witness said ...

    June 18, 2013

  • Prescription drug round-up scheduled

    The Cleveland County Sheriff’s Office has scheduled their quarterly prescription drug round-up at the end of the month....

    June 18, 2013

  • Federal agents search land linked to Jimmy Hoffa case

    OAKLAND TOWNSHIP, Mich. — Federal agents revived the hunt for the remains of Jimmy Hoffa on Monday, bringing excavation equipment to a field in suburban Detroit where a reputed Mafia captain says the Teamsters boss’ body was buried....

    June 18, 2013