Fire crews who were escorting Santa through local neighborhoods on Christmas Eve were pressed into service.
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Just before 9 p.m. on Sunday, firefighters were dispatched to Fairman Lane in the Langhorne section of Middletown Township for a reported chimney blaze.
Firefighters were out around the area taking Santa past local homes when the call came in. They diverted from the Santa runs and rushed to the scene of the reported blaze, Langhorne-Middletown Fire Company Chief Frank Farry said.
Crews, including Santa who had donned bunker gear for safety while en route, arrived to Fairman Lane to find the resident using a garden hose to keep the flames contained to the chimney, Farry said.
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Within about 20 minutes, firefighters were able to contain the chimney fire and make sure it didn’t spread to the rest of the home, Farry said.
No injuries were reported.
Santa and his helpers were able to get back on the road after cleaning up at the fire scene.
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In addition to the Langhorne-Middletown Fire Company, the William Penn and Yardley-Makefield fire companies assisted at the scene.
The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) provided the below tips on fireplace safety.
Restricted air supply and unseasoned wood encourage the buildup of creosote. To avoid that buildup:
- Do not restrict the air supply:
- By closing the glass doors.
- By failing to open the damper wide enough. The longer the smoke is in the flue, the more likely is it that creosote will form.
- By closing down the stove damper or air inlets on a wood stove too soon or too much.
- Do not burn unseasoned wood:
- So much energy is used initially just to drive off the water trapped in the cells of the logs that it keeps the resulting smoke cooler than if seasoned wood is used.
- In the case of wood stoves, overloading the firebox with wood in an attempt to get a longer burn time also contributes to creosote buildup.
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Fireplace safety:
- Keep a glass or metal screen in front of fireplace to prevent embers or sparks jumping out.
- Do not burn paper in your fireplace.
- Put the fire out before you go to sleep or leave your home.
- Put ashes in a metal container with a lid, outside, at least 3 feet from your home.
Wood stove safety:
- Make sure your stove is 3 feet from anything that can burn.
- Do not burn paper in your wood stove.
- Put the fire out before you go to sleep or leave your home.
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