Lighting an Open Fire After Years Without Use

If the open fire in your home has not been lit for years, the first thing to do is not to light it. Fire and rescue services are clear that you should never reopen and use an old fireplace without a professional doing the work, because the chimney is likely to be unsafe¹. Before anything goes in the grate, have the chimney checked and swept by a professional, accredited chimney sweep².

The reason is simple. A dirty or neglected chimney is one of the main routes to a chimney fire, and a chimney fire can spread into the roof space of a house. Sweeping is the most important job before you start using an open fire or wood burner again³. Once the chimney has been checked, the fire itself is straightforward: use kindling rather than flammable liquids, keep a fireguard in front of it, and never leave it burning when you leave the room⁴.

This page sets out what to do before the first fire, how to light and tend it safely, and what to do if something goes wrong. It applies to a conventional open fire in a house, whether it has been unused for a few winters or for decades.

When this applies to your home

This guidance is for a household with a conventional open fire that has fallen out of use: a fireplace behind a board, a grate that has held nothing but dust for several winters, or a chimney that has not seen a sweep in living memory. It also applies to a fireplace you have used occasionally but not serviced.

The risks are different from those of a fire you use every winter. An unused flue can hold soot, debris, birds' nests and loose mortar, and the fireplace itself may have been altered or blocked. Fire and rescue services warn that the chimney is likely to be unsafe, which is why the work should be done by a professional rather than by the householder¹. The same advice applies if you are choosing to reopen and use an old fireplace: ensure you get a professional to carry out the work⁸.

There is a second, quieter reason to think about the chimney before winter. An open chimney can allow large amounts of cold air into the room when it is not in use, and products are available to close off a chimney when it is not being used⁹. If the fire is part of your plan for keeping warm when the heating fails, the draught matters as much as the flames. Our guide to stopping draughts covers the wider job of keeping heat in.

If your fire is a wood burner or multi-fuel stove rather than an open grate, the same principles apply but the controls and checks differ. See wood burners and multi-fuel stoves in a power cut and using a wood burner safely.

What to do before the first fire

Work through these steps in order. The first two are the ones that decide whether the fire is safe to use at all.

1. Have the chimney checked and swept by a professional, accredited chimney sweep. Fire and rescue guidance says this is the most important thing to do before you start using your fire, because dirty chimneys can lead to chimney fires³. If you have an open fire or wood burner, get the chimney swept at least once a year².
2. Have any reopening work done by a professional. Never reopen and use an old fireplace without a professional doing the work, because the chimney is likely to be unsafe¹. If you are choosing to reopen and use an old fireplace, ensure you get a professional to carry out the work⁸.
3. Check the fireplace surround and the room. Ensure the area surrounding the fireplace is free from flammable materials, such as curtains, furniture or decorations¹⁰.
4. Get a fireguard or spark guard. Use a spark guard when the fire is unattended to prevent embers setting fire to furnishings or carpets⁵. Never leave a lit fire unattended without a fireguard¹¹.
5. Source dry, well-seasoned wood. If burning wood, it must be well-seasoned, meaning it has been left to dry out for a long time so the moisture has evaporated from the wood¹². Our guide to firewood explains how to tell dry logs from damp ones.
6. Check where you live. If your home is in a smoke control area, different rules apply to what you can burn. See smoke control areas.

How often the chimney needs sweeping

The frequency depends on what you burn. Fire and rescue guidance gives these intervals for solid fuel appliances⁴:

If you have an open fire or wood burning stove in your home, it is important to properly maintain flues and chimneys¹⁴. Regular sweeping is not a one-off job for the first winter: it is the routine that keeps the fire safe year after year. Our guide to how often a chimney should be swept and checked goes into more detail.

Lighting and tending the fire safely

Once the chimney has been swept and the fireplace checked, lighting the fire is a matter of patience rather than force. Fire and rescue services advise using kindling to create a small fire and then adding larger wood slowly, and never using chemicals such as petrol to light the fire¹⁵. The same warning appears in chimney fire advice: do not light fires using flammable liquids such as petrol or paraffin⁵. Cornwall Fire and Rescue Service puts it plainly: never use petrol or paraffin to light your fire⁵.

A safe routine for an open fire looks like this:

• Start small. Kindling first, then larger pieces added gradually¹⁵.
• Keep the fireguard in place. Use a fireguard and make sure your chimney is clean¹⁶. Use a spark guard when the fire is unattended to prevent embers setting fire to furnishings or carpets⁵.
• Never leave it unattended. Never leave an open fire unattended¹⁰. You should never leave your fireplace or stove unattended when burning, and always ensure you use a spark guard¹⁷.
• Put it out properly before you leave the room. Make sure the fire is put out properly before you leave the room¹⁸. Never leave fires unattended and make sure they are fully extinguished after use¹⁹.
• Do not let it smoulder. Allowing fires to smoulder for long periods is a known cause of chimney fires⁴.

If you are lighting the fire because the heating has failed, the fire is one part of a wider plan. Our guide to keeping one room warm when the heating fails explains how to concentrate heat where the household actually sits, and open fires: lighting, fire guards and staying safe covers the day-to-day routine.

Staying safe while the fire is in use

An open fire is a controlled flame in the middle of a room, and most of the safety rules are about keeping it controlled. Fire and rescue services repeat the same short list: sweep your chimney, use a fireguard, and make sure the fire is put out properly before you leave the room¹⁸. Take care around open fires, use a fireguard and make sure your chimney is clean¹⁶.

The main dangers are these:

• Embers escaping the grate. A spark guard stops embers reaching furnishings or carpets⁵. Never leave a lit fire unattended without a fireguard⁶.
• Flammable material too close. Keep curtains, furniture and decorations clear of the fireplace¹⁰.
• A smouldering fire. Allowing fires to smoulder for long periods causes chimney fires⁴. Burn bright and let it die down properly rather than banking it up overnight.
• A chimney fire going unnoticed. Learn the warning signs, covered below.

Warning signs of a chimney fire

A chimney fire is not always obvious from the room. Fire and rescue guidance lists flames visible through tiny cracks in the outlet or connector as one warning sign²⁰. If you suspect a chimney fire, get everyone out of the house and call 999.

If you have a conventional open fire, guidance says you can extinguish the fire by gently splashing water onto the open fire⁵. After a chimney fire, put a metal bucket half full of water in the fireplace to catch hot debris and place a fireguard in front of the fireplace²¹. Do not use your fire or wood burner again after you have had a chimney fire until you have had the chimney inspected¹.

Our guide to chimney fires: causes, warning signs and what to do covers this in full, and home emergencies: fire, carbon monoxide, gas leaks and burst pipes covers the wider household response.

Where the rules differ across the UK

The fire and rescue service is devolved, so the wording of the advice varies between the four nations, though the substance is the same. The table below shows which service publishes the guidance cited on this page.

The core advice is consistent: sweep before use, use a fireguard, never use flammable liquids, never leave a fire unattended, and have the chimney inspected after a chimney fire¹. If you are unsure which rules apply to your home, your local fire and rescue service is the body to ask.

If you need help or the fire has gone wrong

If a fire gets out of control, get out of the house and call 999. Do not go back inside for possessions. Once the fire is out, the fire service's after-the-fire guidance covers what to do next, including putting a metal bucket half full of water in the fireplace to catch hot debris and placing a fireguard in front of the fireplace²¹.

If you are reopening a fireplace and are not sure who to ask, start with a professional, accredited chimney sweep, who can check and sweep the flue and tell you whether further work is needed². Fire and rescue services advise that a professional should carry out any reopening work¹.

For households that need extra help, for example because of age, disability or a medical condition, our guide to extra help in an emergency explains the support available. If the fire is part of a wider plan for heating without mains power or gas, start with heating and cooking without mains power or gas, and use the before-winter checklist for your heating and stove to get the whole system ready before the cold arrives.