Fire in my house this morning

[rimexboy]

My fire place caught fire at 5.30 this morning we were all very very very lucky as we caught it in time.

We have a wood burning stove and was using it Sunday as we have done for the last 2 years and when we go to bed at 11.30 we close and lock the door.

It looks like the mantle piece wood was just put into the fireplace when it was built many moons ago and not by me.

So I guess I will need to brick the gap in and use fire cement,

What sort of bricks should I use or anything else I should do

Thanks Simon

[henpecked]

You were lucky there, fella. I demolished a brick fireplace in our front room when we moved in here. It was easily 20 ft long and finished at the ceiling 5 bricks wide. He (the moron we bought off) had put the lot on the floor boards and not tied anything into the wall. It was a couple of course thick at the bottom, but only one skin above that. It must have had nearly a pack of brick in it. Surprised it had never can down of its own accord.

[London Stone Paving]

Bloody hell, that could have been a lot worse. what alerted you to the fire?

[rimexboy]

Well my son gets up early for work and noticed it straight away, but we don't have any smoke detectors up at present as renovating, but will be getting some on the way home.

Any suggestions as what I need to do to repair it

Thanks simon

[henpecked]

If that whole bit above the fireplace is board, it has to come out. Get 15mm fire-check (the pink stuff) in its place.
LLL will be along to advise soon, but I wouldn't use the fire till you get it sorted.

[lutonlagerlout]

theoretically simon, that is impossible ???
was the wood burning stove plated by a HETAS registered installer?
my mate fits them and 99/100 the chimney has to be lined with a flue
glad you and your family are ok,could easily have been a tragedy

me and my mate went to lloret de mar in the 80s,anyway i woke up with a sore throat (been out drinking of course) and went to get water from the bathroom
when i turned the light on the whole room was full of thick black smoke
I had fell asleep smoking and the mattress had 1/3 smouldered away
there for the grace of god go i
LLL

[rimexboy]

Yer we are all very lucky indeed, it was fitted by a proper firm who only do fires and we have the plate too.

The wood was fitted by my partners ex years ago and it just goes straight into the chimney,

So I guess I need to brick the gap up and use fire cement I take it but should I use certain bricks or what should I use?

The fire is not going to be used until this has been put right.

Many thanks Simon

[lutonlagerlout]

i cannot understand how heat alone has started the fire?
is the chimney lined? with a flue liner I.E metal tube?
what was the wall made of ?
cheers LLL

[rimexboy]

The stove has a little flue on it up the chimney, the problem I think is the mantle piece itself made the front of the chimney and I suppose if wood is near or next to high heat then it would possibly catch fire.

Having said that we did have a battery clock on top maybe it was that which started it

Now the wood has been burnt I can see and even put my arm right into the chimney

Thanks Simon

[lutonlagerlout]

saw this in today's times
you need to put a lintel in to take the bricks
unless its an open flue normal cement will be ok
and flettons
LLL

[rimexboy]

Ok cheers tony I will get the bits together and it looks like i have got myself a Saturday job

Thanks again Simon

[rimexboy]

That's what I have one picture with my arm in it one with the hole and the one of the inside

Thanks Simon

[lutonlagerlout]

i reckon that needs to be lined mate
£££
LLL

[rimexboy]

It's been like that since the fire was fitted tony

[lutonlagerlout]

my mate stroudy fits them and they never install a log burner without a flue
your experience is one of the main reasons why

the other one is chimney fires due to a build up of soot

putting a combustible material adjacent to a heat source and naked flame has to be a big no no
I cant workout why the timber went into the chimney?
every fireplace i ever built (quite a lot back in the 80s)
the mantel piece sat on the external brickwork

did you have some sort of metal or cement sheet around the flue section of the burner?

cheers LLL