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Show Chilly Wetflher Jumps Wortdoad forlVloab Volunteer Firemen Improper installation of wood and coal burning stoves and fireplaces is a major fire hazard and the cause of many needless and tragic fires, according ac-cording to Fire Chief Troy Black. Poor chimney installation was the cause of the fire last Friday at the Jay Kratz residence. The chimney to a woodcoal burning heatilator stove had been run horizontally horizontal-ly through a plywood sheet in a window opening, and the wood caught fire from the heat in the chimney. Chief Black pointed out that I horizontal chimney or stove-I stove-I pipe installations are particularly particu-larly hazardous because of the extreme concentration of heat on the top side of the pipe. Stovepipe or chimney should never be installed in direct contact with combustible materials, ma-terials, he stressed. Any coal or wood burning unit should have a masonry I chimney or a stainless steel chimney including two metal liners. There should be a minimum of two inches of free air space all around the chimney, chim-ney, which is provided by the two metal liners, said Black.' A minimum of 18 inches of space should be provided from the chimney to wall or other combustible material, and in addition there should be an i asbestos, ceramic or other noncombustible surface for the stove to sit on. Black also pointed out that chimneys designed to service gas-burning units are not adequate to handle the heat ! generated by a woodcoal burning unit, and must be replaced by the proper chimney chim-ney for safe operation. Anyone with any question about their stove or fireplace is urged to contact Chief Black at the fire station or by calling 259-5557. He will be happy to examine the unit and make recommendations regarding fire safety. The recent popularity of fireplaces and such units as Franklin stoves, and careless installation of these units, have resulted in a proportionately proportion-ately higher number of fires caused by the units. This need not be the case, however, said Black. With proper installation, wood and coal burning units can be used by people as a hedge against the cost of gas and other fuel to heat their homes in winter. i l 1-7" i ' : , , . x x-:1 . ' Li-.-.. " Mzr'tX j Fireman Dick Hammer displays plywood sheet used around chimney where it was installed in window. Horizontal chimney installations concentrate heat on the upper side of pipe, and should J never be used without proper Insulation. This plywood caught fire from the heat in the chimney, 1 according to firemen. U'i . .... . . . ' ,!Vi v v. . , ' ' ' ..-.vw,--: i , . t -, ; -..- ... . ..... it ...... Vf .i .... -, ' w -i ' ' - ..- . i I 1. ' 3 . t,. - ... ... f . s .j. . isr'. . ... ; j ' ' ' ...... ' . i tf! ... - ....... ..... " ... .. ; x . ... .- ..... : .... ' ' ' ; . - i m" r V " . x v : ' 7' - i ' 'i ' ' - . ; '' - ; Fireman removes a sheet of smoldering insulation during cleanup activities inside the David Christensen mobile home. Two bedrooms were badly smoke damaged, but the contents were saved. Two steaming aquarium yielded one live ' . ; . v . r - . . j ... , - ' i . , vt....- .. ..... j I 1 . i ! 1 ; : i . J i i J I 1 v ".if if i l t ! ' J I I - i Improperly installed woodcoal burning stove was the cause of a fire at 38 N. 1st West the t afternoon of Dec. 31 at house owned by Ludwig Hansen and rented by Jay Kratz. According to Fire Chief Troy Black this heatilator unit as manufactured some 40-50 years ago. Such units, and the P, new wood and coal burning stoves and fireplaces require proper installation for safe use. goldfish, and ironically, the same fish had been frozen, and survived the experience earlier, according to a member of the family. ' ' r""r' . jiim mi 1 ; in 1 1. 11.11 p iium iwii. u.n'l 1 - , , . . : . x v , ; ; . ,x . . , - i v --. , i ; 1 'A ' "' i i , --. . ' . ', :---,,a x- x- ,,. , ' A . . 'V J f' "' " ' - ' , ' i f ' ., ' "' r ; , : I Kitchen and living room were a shambles, and termed a complete loss after a fire in the David Christensen mobile home on Powerhouse Lane which was reported by neighbors at 6:42 p.m. Jan. 1. The family was out at the time, and the middle section of the trailer burned. The cause of the fire is unknown, however, it began just inside the north door. |