Chimney fires spark call to sweep

FIREFIGHTERS who were called to two chimney fires in as many hours have issued a plea to householders to call in a chimney sweep before lighting their first fires of the autumn.

Crews from Barnsley fire station attended two calls on Tuesday afternoon, the first on New Street, Staincross, at around 3.45pm.

They spent a short amount of time putting out a chimney fire, before checking neighbouring properties which shared the same chimney space.

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Just over two hours later, the same crew was called to Royston Lane, Carlton again putting out a fire which had started in the grate.

A spokesman said: “These two incidents turned out to be minor in nature but chimney fires can be extremely dangerous. Autumn has drawn in over the last few days and we would urge people to get their chimney swept before lighting their first fire of the winter.

“Other measures which people should be thinking about at this time of year include checking electric blankets and gas appliances which haven’t been used for several months. Both can be causes of house fires, and gas appliances should also be checked for carbon monoxide fumes.”

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