By Hema Easley
WEST MILFORD — The township's top fire official is urging residents to dispose of ashes carefully after two fires broke out at homes Monday, one of which was caused by improperly discarded fireplace ashes.
Firefighters responded to a fire at 341 Lakeside Road at 7:10 a.m. The fire was limited to the deck and was quickly put out, said Fire Marshall Fred Stewart.
Stewart said the homeowners used their fireplace the previous evening and then set the ashes in a container on the deck. Though the container was metal, it still got hot enough to ignite the deck, he said.
A passerby saw smoke rising from the corner of the house and knocked on the front door to inform the residents. Together they threw water on the fire.
Meanwhile, firefighters from Greenwood Forest, West Milford and Upper Greenwood Lake companies responded to the fire and doused it completely. No one was hurt.
“The proper way to dispose the ashes is to put them in a metal bucket and then in a metal can, wet them down and put them away from the house,” said Stewart, suggesting it be put far away from flammable material. The ashes “can stay warm up to four days.”
The ideal way to discard of fireplace ash is to dig a pit in the yard, and then dump it there, said Stewart.
Firefighters were also called to put out a chimney fire at 95 Lindys Drive at 9:52 a.m. The fire and the resulting damage were limited to the chimney.
“It is recommended that chimneys be cleaned once a year at the beginning of the season to prevent incidents like this,” said Stewart.
Below are a few guidelines from the U.S. Fire Administration (USFA) on how to keep your home fires burning safely.
Keep fireplaces and wood stoves clean
Have your chimney or wood stove inspected and cleaned annually by a certified chimney specialist.
Clear the area around the hearth of debris, decorations and flammable materials.
Leave glass doors open while burning a fire. Leaving the doors open ensures that the fire receives enough air to complete combustion and it keeps creosote from building up in the chimney.
Close glass doors when the fire is out to keep air from the chimney opening from getting into the room. Most glass fireplace doors have a metal mesh screen which should be closed when the glass doors are open. This mesh screen helps keep embers from getting out of the fireplace area.
Always use a metal mesh screen with fireplaces that do not have a glass fireplace door.
Install stovepipe thermometers to help monitor flue temperatures.
Keep air inlets on wood stoves open, and never restrict air supply to fireplaces. Otherwise you may cause creosote buildup that could lead to a chimney fire.
Use fire-resistant materials on walls around wood stoves.
Safely burn fuels
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 away from your home and any other nearby buildings. Never empty the ash directly into a trash can. Douse and saturate the ashes with water.