ST. PETERS, MO (KTVI)– The chill in the air may cause unwanted pests and critters to move into your home. Some of them could be the reason your home catches fire. Firefighters at Central County Fire and Rescue in St. Peters are gearing up for chimney fires. Steve Brown is the Fire Marshall. He said, “This is the time of season where we look start seeing chimney fires.”
According to experts, every year across the nation there are 25,000 house fires that start in the chimney. Birds and pests build a home in your chimney causing a danger situation that you don’t realize until it’s too late. Brown added, “They start their first fire of the season, they don’t check the fireplace and then that nest will catch fire and it will fall down alongside the flu pipe or in the chase and it will set the house on fire. Most of the time the residents don’t even know their home is on fire until a neighbor or a passerby alerts them.”
The folks at Rottler Pest and Lawn Solutions are also seeing the effects of the cold. Bugs and small wild animals are moving in with homeowners. Gary Rottler said, “We usually get calls for other pests, we’ll get squirrels in the chimney we get ants in the kitchen or the kids room cause there’s no food outside.” He said the cold does slow down the flea population. It’s been a bad year for fleas. By the fourth frost Rottler said those biting insects should be back under control.
Before your first fire have your chimney checked.