Emergency Chimney Service in Northwest Indiana
A chimney fire, a carbon monoxide alarm, a blocked flue, backdrafting smoke or a storm-hit stack all need fast, careful handling. Here is what to do first, and how we make it safe.
By Mark Jason, owner of NWI Chimney Sweep · 34 years handling NWI chimney emergencies
Call 911 first if life is in danger
If there are flames spreading, a sounding carbon monoxide alarm, or anyone feeling dizzy, confused, headachy or sick, leave the house now and call 911 from outside. Call your gas utility for a gas smell or a CO leak. Call us once everyone is safe, and we will inspect the chimney and make it safe before it is used again.
We answer 7 days a week, 7am to 9pm, at (219) 203-9797. We work to the NFPA 211 standard, and we never ask you to keep using a fireplace we have not checked.
Chimney fire
A chimney fire is burning creosote inside the flue. It can roar and throw sparks from the top, or pass almost silently and still crack the liner. Either way it can spread to the roof and walls, and it leaves the flue unsafe for the next fire.
Warning signs
- A loud roaring or crackling sound from the chimney, like a freight train
- Dense smoke or sparks shooting from the top of the chimney
- A strong, hot smell and vibration from the chimney
- Afterwards: puffy or honeycombed creosote, cracked tiles, a warped damper
What to do right now
1. Get everyone and all pets out of the house and call 911. 2. If it is safe, close the glass doors or the damper to cut off the fire’s air, and aim a dry-chemical extinguisher at the firebox only. 3. Do not pour water down the flue — the steam and thermal shock can crack it. 4. Do not light another fire until the flue has been inspected.
Even a fire that seems to go out on its own can leave the liner cracked, so a Level 2 camera inspection is the only way to know the flue is safe again.
Carbon monoxide (CO) leak
Carbon monoxide is colorless and odorless. A fireplace or gas appliance that burns incompletely or vents poorly can release it into the living space, where it builds up without warning. A blocked flue, a backdrafting chimney or a faulty gas fireplace are all common sources.
Warning signs
- A carbon monoxide alarm sounding
- Headaches, dizziness, nausea or drowsiness that ease when you leave the house
- Soot or a yellow, lazy flame on a gas fireplace instead of a steady blue one
- Heavy condensation on windows near the fireplace
What to do right now
1. Get everyone and all pets outside to fresh air immediately. 2. From outside, call 911 and your gas utility. 3. Do not go back in to open windows or search for the source. 4. Have the fireplace, appliance and venting checked before anything is used again.
Once the house is clear, a gas fireplace and venting check or a flue inspection finds why the CO escaped and puts it right.
Severe flue blockage
A badly blocked flue has nowhere to send smoke and carbon monoxide except back into the room. Blockages build from a thick creosote glaze, an animal nest, fallen tile, or a cap packed with leaves and debris. A fireplace that will not draw, or that smokes the moment it is lit, is often telling you the flue is blocked.
Warning signs
- Smoke pushing into the room instead of rising up the flue
- A fire that will not catch or keeps dying down
- Scratching, chirping or rustling sounds from the chimney
- Debris, nesting material or a strong animal smell at the firebox
What to do right now
1. Put the fire out — let it die down or smother it; do not use water. 2. Open windows and move everyone to fresh air. 3. Treat any dizziness or nausea as carbon monoxide and call 911 from outside. 4. Do not relight until the flue is cleared.
Clearing the blockage and checking what caused it is the job of a chimney sweep, who removes the obstruction and confirms the flue is clear.
Smoke backdrafting
Backdrafting is when the draft reverses and smoke rolls out of the firebox into the room. A missing or crushed cap, a downdraft off a nearby roof, or a house held under negative pressure by exhaust fans can all cause it. Because it pulls combustion gases back inside, backdrafting is a safety problem, not just a smoky annoyance.
Warning signs
- Smoke spilling into the room when you light or tend the fire
- A smoky smell indoors even when the fireplace is cold
- The fireplace only smokes when a kitchen or bath fan or the dryer is running
- Cold air pouring down the flue between fires
What to do right now
1. Put the fire out and open a window on the windward side of the house. 2. Turn off kitchen and bath exhaust fans and the clothes dryer. 3. Check that a carbon monoxide alarm is working nearby. 4. Do not keep burning to push through it.
Fixing a backdraft usually means a correct cap and damper and sorting out the draft, which we check as a set rather than one part at a time.
Sudden structural damage
A chimney that is leaning, dropping bricks, or split open after a lightning strike, a vehicle hit or a windstorm is a structural emergency. Falling masonry is a hazard to anyone below, and a cracked stack lets fire, gases and water reach the wall and framing. Lightning can blow mortar joints apart and leave the flue unsafe even when the outside looks whole.
Warning signs
- The chimney leaning away from the house or a visible gap at the roofline
- Bricks, mortar or pieces of the crown on the ground
- Cracks running down the masonry or through the firebox
- Damage after a storm, a lightning strike or an impact
What to do right now
1. Keep people and parked cars clear of the area below the chimney. 2. Stop using the fireplace and any furnace or water heater that vents into it. 3. Do not climb up to inspect a leaning or crumbling stack. 4. After lightning, have the home’s wiring checked too.
We assess the damage from the ground and roof, make the stack safe, and set out the masonry repair needed to put it right.
Not sure how serious it is?
If you are unsure whether what you are seeing is an emergency, treat it as one until a person tells you otherwise. Stop using the fireplace, keep people away from any falling masonry, and call us. We would far rather take a call that turns out to be minor than have you keep burning on a flue that is not safe. For the slower-burning problems — stains, odors, a draft that is a little off — the symptom guide explains what each sign usually means and how urgent it is. Make-safe and emergency response pricing is listed with our other starting prices.
Chimney emergency questions
What counts as a chimney emergency?
A chimney emergency is any fireplace or venting problem that could cause a fire, carbon monoxide poisoning or falling masonry. That includes a chimney fire, a sounding CO alarm, a flue so blocked that smoke backs up, persistent backdrafting, and a chimney that is leaning or dropping bricks. When in doubt, stop using the fireplace and call.
Should I call 911 or a chimney sweep first?
Call 911 first whenever life or the building is in immediate danger: flames spreading, a sounding carbon monoxide alarm, or anyone feeling dizzy, confused or sick. Get everyone outside, call the fire department or gas utility, and call us once people are safe so we can inspect the chimney and make it safe before it is used again.
My chimney fire went out by itself. Is the chimney still safe?
Not necessarily. A chimney fire can crack the clay-tile liner or warp the damper even if it burns out quickly, leaving a path for the next fire to reach the framing. After any suspected chimney fire the flue needs a Level 2 camera inspection before another fire is lit, no matter how brief the fire seemed.
What should I do if the carbon monoxide alarm goes off?
Get everyone and all pets outside to fresh air right away, then call 911 and your gas utility from outside. Do not go back in to open windows or look for the source. Carbon monoxide is colorless and odorless, so the alarm is the only reliable warning; have the fireplace and venting checked before anything is used again.
Why does smoke come into the room instead of going up the chimney?
Smoke rolls into the room when the flue is blocked, when the chimney is backdrafting, or when the house is under negative pressure from exhaust fans. Put the fire out, open a window, turn off fans and the dryer, and check a carbon monoxide alarm. The underlying cause, a blocked flue, a missing cap or a draft problem, needs to be found before you burn again.
Do you handle chimney emergencies on weekends?
We answer the phone 7 days a week, from 7am to 9pm, so weekend and evening calls reach a person who can talk you through the immediate steps and get you on the schedule. For anything life-threatening, call 911 first; we handle the make-safe and the inspection once everyone is safe.
Is a leaning chimney really an emergency?
Yes. A leaning or crumbling chimney can drop masonry on people or a car below, and the lean usually means water has destroyed the mortar or the footing has shifted. A cracked stack also lets fire and combustion gases into the wall. Keep the area clear, stop using anything that vents into the chimney, and have it assessed before the next storm.
What does make-safe work involve?
Make-safe work is the immediate step that removes the danger: clearing a blocked flue, taking a cracked or fire-damaged chimney out of service, bracing or tarping storm damage, and confirming nothing more is at risk. It is separate from the full repair, which we quote once the chimney is safe and the inspection shows exactly what is needed.
A fireplace emergency cannot wait — call now.
Tell us what is happening and we will walk you through the first steps, then make the chimney safe.
Call (219) 203-9797