Oxfordshire residents urged to reduce risk of chimney fires
Fire Service see an increase in chimney fires as more people heat their homes
Oxfordshire Fire and Rescue Service are warning people about the risk of chimney fires as incidents rise in the cold weather.
Station Manager Andy Ford explained that chimney fires are often caused by a lack of maintenance, as blockages create hazards.
“All sorts of things could be in your chimney," he said. "What we call clinker, or soot, can block the chimney stack, or we could have had a bird's nest that's got into the top of the chimney."
Andy suggested sweeping chimneys regularly, with the start of the year being a good time to carry out a mid-season sweep of those heavily used in the winter so far.
“If you're burning wood a lot, we recommend getting it swept around about now in January,” he said. “You've been using it over the Christmas period to snuggle up nice and warm, and again, you're going to be lighting it now in the cold weather.
"It's really important to have that chimney swept."