The first cold night of the season is when a lot of people strike a match in a fireplace that has not been touched since last winter. That is exactly the moment to slow down. Fireplace safety starts before the first log goes on the grate: a chimney that has collected a year of soot, a bird’s nest or a cracked flue liner can turn a cozy evening into a house fire or a carbon monoxide emergency.
This guide walks through what the fire data actually shows, what a chimney inspection covers, how creosote builds up, which wood to burn, how to get rid of ashes safely and what owners of gas fireplaces need to know. Every number below comes from the agency or organization that published it.
What the home heating fire data shows
Heating is one of the biggest fire risks in American homes. The National Fire Protection Association’s home heating safety page says fire departments responded to an estimated average of 37,365 fires involving heating equipment per year from 2020 to 2024. Those fires accounted for 11% of all reported home fires and caused an estimated 417 civilian deaths, 1,260 civilian injuries and $1.2 billion in property damage each year.
Space heaters get most of the attention, and for good reason: NFPA says space heaters and heating stoves accounted for 30% of heating fires but 73% of the deaths. UVN covered that in detail in our space heater safety guide. Fireplaces are a different kind of problem. According to the same NFPA figures, larger fires involving fireplaces or chimneys were fewer than one in ten heating equipment fires (6%), yet they caused nearly one-fifth of the direct property damage (19%). In other words, when a fireplace or chimney fire gets out of control, it tends to be expensive.
Timing matters too. NFPA says nearly half of home heating fires (46%) happen from December through February. The U.S. Fire Administration’s heating fire safety page notes that heating fires were the second leading cause of home fires in 2021, with an estimated 32,200 home heating fires, 190 deaths and $442 million in property loss that year. October and early November, before the heavy-use months, is the window to get ahead of it.
Step one: get the chimney inspected every year
Every major safety group says the same thing. NFPA’s home heating fires report lists having “heating equipment and chimneys inspected and cleaned every year by a qualified professional” among its core safety practices. USFA says the same, and the CDC’s carbon monoxide basics page adds that chimneys “can be blocked by debris, which can cause CO to build up inside your home.”
An inspection is not the same as a sweeping. A sweep removes deposits; an inspection checks whether the system is sound. The Chimney Safety Institute of America explains in its description of the three inspection levels, which were adopted into the NFPA 211 standard, what each one covers:
- Level 1: The routine inspection for most homes, when the chimney is easily accessible and you plan to keep using it the same way. A certified sweep checks that the structure is sound and free of obstructions and combustible deposits such as creosote.
- Level 2: Required when you add a new heating appliance, change the type of fuel you burn, sell or transfer the property, or after a malfunction or event that may have damaged the chimney. It adds accessible attics, crawl spaces and basements and may include a video inspection of the flue.
- Level 3: Recommended when a Level 1 or 2 inspection suggests a hidden hazard that can only be evaluated by accessing concealed parts of the chimney or flue.
If you just bought a house with a fireplace and have no idea when it was last used, that falls into the Level 2 situation CSIA describes. CSIA recommends using a CSIA Certified Chimney Sweep.
Creosote: the fuel you cannot see
The main reason chimneys need regular attention is creosote. CSIA’s guide to preventing chimney fires explains that as smoke, water vapor, gases, unburned wood particles and tar fog rise into the cooler chimney, they condense and stick to the flue walls. That residue is creosote. It can be “crusty and flaky,” “tar-like, drippy and sticky” or “shiny and hardened,” and in every form it is highly combustible.
CSIA lists three conditions that speed up creosote buildup:
- Restricted air supply, such as closed glass doors, a damper that is not opened wide enough, or not enough make-up air to move smoke up the chimney quickly.
- Unseasoned wood, which burns cooler because energy is spent driving water out of the logs.
- Cooler than normal chimney temperatures.
According to CSIA, a chimney fire in a masonry chimney can burn at around 2,000 degrees Fahrenheit, hot enough to crack flue tiles and displace mortar and open a path for flames to reach the wood framing of the house. If you suspect an active chimney fire, CSIA’s guidance is plain: call 911.
Burn only dry, seasoned wood
Wet wood is the most common, most fixable mistake. The EPA’s archived Burn Wise guide to best wood-burning practices (EPA notes the program ran from 2009 to 2025 and the page is now a historic record) gives the basic rules:
- Burn only dry, split, well-seasoned wood. Season wood for at least six months.
- Wood burns best at a moisture content of less than 20%. A wood moisture meter is an inexpensive way to check.
- Seasoned wood is darker, weighs less and sounds hollow when knocked against another piece.
- Store wood outdoors, off the ground, with only the top covered. Covering the sides traps moisture.
- Start fires with newspaper, dry kindling or natural fire starters. Never use gasoline, kerosene or charcoal starter.
EPA also lists what not to burn: household trash, cardboard, plastics, foam, colored-ink paper, painted or pressure-treated wood, plywood and particle board, and ocean driftwood. USFA’s fireplace and wood stove safety card adds a simple one: do not burn paper in your fireplace. Wrapping paper on a holiday morning is a classic culprit.
If you are buying wood, EPA recommends buying locally cut firewood to avoid spreading invasive forest pests. Readers thinking about selling firewood can see the rules on our sister site in How to Start a Firewood Business.
Screens, clearance and the 3-foot rule
Once the fire is lit, the goal is to keep embers in and people and furniture out. USFA’s safety card recommends:
- Keep anything that can burn at least 3 feet from the fireplace or wood stove.
- Keep a glass or metal screen in front of the fireplace to stop embers and sparks from jumping out.
- Put the fire out before you go to sleep or leave the house.
- Keep fireplace “on” switches and remote controls out of children’s reach.
NFPA’s heating safety tip sheet adds a three-foot “kid-free zone” around open fires and space heaters, and reminds households to test smoke alarms at least once a month.
How to get rid of fireplace ashes
Ashes stay hot far longer than most people expect, and a cardboard box or plastic trash bin full of “cold” ashes on a back porch is a common way fires start. USFA’s guidance is specific: put ashes in a metal container with a lid, and place the container outside at least 10 feet from your home. EPA adds that the covered metal container should sit outdoors on a nonflammable surface.
Carbon monoxide alarms are not optional
Any appliance that burns fuel can produce carbon monoxide, and fireplaces are on the CDC’s list. The CDC says more than 400 Americans die each year from unintentional carbon monoxide poisoning not linked to fires, more than 100,000 visit an emergency department and more than 14,000 are hospitalized. The most common symptoms are headache, dizziness, weakness, upset stomach, vomiting, chest pain and confusion, and they are often described as “flu-like.”
What to do:
- The Consumer Product Safety Commission’s carbon monoxide information center recommends battery-operated CO alarms, or alarms with battery backup, on every level of the home and outside sleeping areas. Interconnected alarms are best.
- The CDC says to check CO detector batteries when you change your clocks in spring and fall, and to replace detectors according to the manufacturer’s instructions or every 5 years. Daylight saving time ends Sunday, Nov. 1, 2026, which makes next weekend a natural time to do it.
- If you suspect CO poisoning, CPSC says get outside to fresh air immediately and then call 911.
Gas fireplace notes: the glass gets dangerously hot
Gas fireplaces avoid creosote, but they are not risk-free. The Hearth, Patio and Barbecue Association’s glass-front safety FAQ warns that the glass and surrounding surfaces on gas fireplaces, stoves and inserts “become extremely hot during operation and can stay hot long after operation,” and that cooling can take an hour or more. HPBA says burns can occur in less than a second in some cases.
HPBA’s advice:
- Supervise children, older adults and pets when the unit is on or was recently turned off.
- Treat the glass as potentially hot at all times, especially on thermostat-controlled units that cycle on and off on their own.
- Keep the remote out of children’s reach and consider a switch lock.
- HPBA says all new certified fireplaces, stoves and inserts manufactured after Jan. 1, 2015 include a safety screen or barrier that must be installed. For older units, ask the manufacturer about an approved screen or use a sturdy freestanding safety gate.
Gas units still produce combustion gases, so the CDC’s advice to have gas-burning appliances serviced by a qualified technician every year applies here too. NFPA’s tip sheet adds: if you smell gas, do not light the appliance. Leave the home and call the fire department or gas company.
A quick fireplace safety checklist before your first fire
- Book a chimney inspection by a certified sweep, and a cleaning if needed.
- Open the damper and look up the flue with a flashlight for obvious blockages.
- Stock dry, seasoned wood stored off the ground with only the top covered.
- Check that the fireplace screen is in place and clear a 3-foot zone.
- Test smoke alarms and CO alarms, and replace any CO alarm past its replacement date.
- Set out a lidded metal ash bucket and pick a spot at least 10 feet from the house.
- Put the fire out before bed.
For more on staying warm and safe this season, see UVN’s guides to winter heating bills and winter power outage preparedness.
