[Catspaw]

All you have to do to "douse" a chimney fire, before it gets out of hand and sets your roof on fire... is to remove the source. Put the fire in the fireplace or woodstove OUT! Long time ago when I heated an 8 room victorian farmhouse with fireplaces... the first thing I learned was how to control a chimney fire.

And just how were the firefighters to know this chimney fire hadn't spead to the roof?

[myrabach]

I really don't think it has anything to do with luck... but more with awareness. I lived in the country where the local firehouse was a significant distance away. Chimney fires were not an uncommon way of life and if you didn't want to completely lose your home, you learned quickly how to take care of business on your own.

However, in that same light... everyone used the services of the local chimney sweep on a regular basis. Prevention is key.