Dispose of Fireplace Ashes Properly

Fifteen years ago this week, a huge fire engulfed an entire apartment building at the Chase Pointe Apartments in Virginia Beach, leaving 35 people homeless.  The anniversary comes on the heels of a deadly Christmas Day house fire in Stamford, Connecticut, that killed a couple and three grandchildren.  Investigators found both fires were caused by improperly discarded fireplace ashes.

It's a mistake that apparently is made all too often.  The National Fire Protection Agency reports that improperly handled fireplace ashes cause hundreds of house fires every year.

The problem, experts say, are the embers, which can smolder for three to four days after a fireplace fire.  The smoldering embers, insulated by a blanket of ash, allowed early man to transport fire from place to place, according to the Fireplace Channel.

In the 1996 fire in Virginia Beach, fireplace ash was left in a plastic bucket on a third floor balcony.  In this week's fatal fire in Connecticut, the ash container was placed just outside the door.

To dispose of fireplace ash properly, the National Fire Protection Agency recommends the following:

"Allow ashes to cool before disposing. Dispose of ashes in a tightly covered metal container and keep the ash container at least 10 feet away from the home and any other nearby buildings. Douse and saturate the ashes with water." (boldface added for emphasis)

Incidentally, the 1996 fire was the first of three over a nine year period at the Chase Pointe Apartments, according to the Virginian-Pilot archives.


Here's another story on those fires.


Links:
www.thefireplacechannel.com/woodashes.html
www.leduc.ca/City_Government/Departments/Fire_Services/Safety/Fireplace_Ashes.htm