Had a chimney fire call last Thursday that was something else.

Got a call from a lady in Arlington whose fireplace was roaring but smoke was pouring into the living room. Turns out her flue was completely blocked by a raccoon nest that had dried out and caught. Anyone else ever deal with animals causing a fire hazard like that?

3 comments

3 Comments

jade2711mo ago

Blame it on the raccoons setting up a fire hazard Airbnb in her chimney. I guess they don't care about building codes or fire safety inspections. At least she got a free smoke show and a wildlife eviction notice rolled into one. Bet that call woke her up faster than a triple espresso. Hope the raccoon family found a new condo that's less toasty.

dylanwilliams26d ago

Wait, did they actually find out if the raccoons were nesting in there for a while or was it just a one time thing? I mean @jade271, you hear stories about them building whole dens in chimneys sometimes, not just crashing for a night. Like, do they bring in leaves and stuff to make it cozy, or is it basically just them piling in for warmth and causing chaos? Feels like there's a big difference between a quick squat and a full on renovation project, you know?

eric_murphy361mo ago

People get so comfortable with nature nearby until it tries to burn their house down.