The CFA has issued a warning to households with wood fires after homes have been lost due to blazes in the chimney.

District 24 operations officer Ashley Mills said it was vital for people to clean chimney flues annually.

“People with wood heaters should get a vacuum or a brush and clean all the dust out of the flues,” he said.

“If people aren’t confident to clean it themselves they should hire a contractor.”

Mr Mills said soot built up inside flues could catch alight.

“It can start to fall down and that creates quite a bit of panic for residents,” he said.

Mr Mills said open fireplaces were among the biggest problems.

“The products in the flue can fall into the open fireplace, sending embers and soot residue streaming out on to the floor,” he said.

“A guard in front of the fireplace would catch some of that residue and hot embers.”

Mr Mills said preventing fires came down to housekeeping and common sense. 

“Don’t dry clothing too close to the heat and keep flammable material away from fires,” he said.

“I would also have concerns if people left open fireplaces unattended because that’s a bit of a recipe for disaster.

“Be mindful of the fact it is quite a dangerous heating unit in the house.”

Mr Mills urged anybody who noticed a problem with their flue to contact the fire brigade. 

“If a closed fire unit is behaving differently there is usually a reason for it,” he said.

“If it is producing a lot of smoke then it’s an indicator there is a problem with the flue.”

Chimney fires can cause severe damage to homes but Mr Mills said it was easily preventable and people needed to remain vigilant.