New Years weekend ended with 4 chimney fires in 2 days in a beach community south of Los Angeles. Not the best way to bring in 2011!

Only a complete fire investigation can determine the cause of each of those fires.

Years of experience has shown us that there are a number of factors that can contribute to chimney fires. The first is earthquakes. There is the obvious damage when the chimney crumbles and falls. But there can also be hidden damage.

Many homes in Southern California built in the last 20 years have metal flues in their chimneys. Earthquakes can displace the connections, leaving gaps that allow heat, gas and sparks to seep out of the flue and into the inner structure surrounding the chimney. The National Fire Protection Agency in NFPA 211 section 14.25.1 (4) strongly recommends a complete chimney inspection after an earthquake. Only a camera inspection can determine with complete certainty how safe the flue structure is; especially a metal flue.

Homes built near the ocean have another unique problem. The metal flues can rust from exposure to the sea air. An annual chimney inspection with a camera is the best way to catch this problem before it becomes a safety hazard.

Factory built chimneys and fireplaces constructed in the last 20 to 30 years have varying warranties. Once that warranty is expired, there is no guarantee how long the flue will last. We all have appliances that have lasted for years past the warranty date and others that die the day after the expiration date. There is no way to predict how your chimney is holding up except with a 12 point chimney inspection that includes a camera floated up the inside of the flue.

Although replacement parts are available for newer, more recently built chimneys and fireplaces, older models were often built by companies that are no longer in business. Even companies that are still in business stop supplying replacement parts after several years. Frequent inspections insure that any problem that occurs can be detected and corrected by the least expensive method available.

It is not unusual to get a chimney inspection when buying a new house. The point of sale is the last place anyone wants to find out the chimney is not safe and needs to be replaced costing many thousands of dollars. Except for a devastating earthquake, most chimney repairs can be budgeted and planned for based on a current chimney inspection report.

The dollar amount incurred by the fire damage from those 4 fires is over $400,000. That cost could have been prevented or at least greatly reduced with the modest price of an expert chimney inspection by a certified chimney inspector.