In winter and autumn, there’s no better and warmer feeling than the one when family or friends are gathered around a fire or a fireplace.
The warm fire inside the fireplace can provide the warmth required to ease the cold winter’s brutality.
However, once you’re done enjoying the fire, you can’t simply leave it to burn out over time, you have to know how to put out a fire in a fireplace, for obvious reasons we’ll explain later in this WarmthPedia guide.
After using the fireplace, you should put it out safely, without making a mess, and create a beautiful scene that will make it appealing for friends and family to gather around it again next time.
In this WarmthPedia guide, we’ll explain why you should know how to put out a fire in a fireplace, and provide you with general guidance that’ll help you carry it out perfectly.
Then, we’ll explain what to do before and during the operation of putting out the fire.
Why You Should Know How to Put out a Fire in a Fireplace
I understand that sometimes it’s satisfying to know that all the fuel and wood you used in the fireplace was used for warmth, and wasn’t wasted at all.
Others feel the satisfaction of watching the fire burn down as long as they’re there to watch it.
But sometimes it’s necessary to put out the fire at once, and completely.
The fire shouldn’t be left unattended, thus putting it out whenever you have to leave the room for some business.
Sometimes the kids or pets become more active, and you don’t want them to get in harm’s way, so you’ll have to put out the fire immediately.
Always having a plan in mind to put out the fire at once can be beneficial in many ways, too many we can’t count them, as any kind of emergency can happen, and you have to be ready to put out the fire before it becomes another emergency itself.
General Guidance on How to Put out a Fire in a Fireplace
After years and years of experience dealing with different kinds of fire, here are the most important tips we can give you, to help you with mastering how to put out a fire in a fireplace properly and safely.
- Inspect and clean your chimney annually
- Clean the fireplace hearth frequently
- Make sure the flue is open before lighting a fire
- Keep mesh screens closed and glass fireplace doors opened after lighting a fire
- Keep a fire extinguisher nearby
How to Put out a Fire in a Fireplace: Before You Start
Before you put out a fire, always make sure to stop adding fuel to the fire.
Adding more fuel will only make matters worse, as you’ll have to extend the time required to put out the fire.
Once you decide you’ll put out the fire, no more fuel should be added, and no more easy-to-burn particles should be put there too.
One more step before you start putting it out, don’t use water!
Why? We’ll explain that later in this WarmthPedia guide.
Here’s a video to prepare you for the guide:
How to Put out a Fire in a Fireplace
- Spread Fireplace Contents Gently.
- Use the Ashes.
- Add Baking Soda.
- Deal with Remaining Ashes.
Let’s explain every step, shall we?
1. Spread Fireplace Contents Gently
We suggest you use a wood-handled poker to spread fireplace contents gently.
It’ll allow you to weaken the fire gradually, and if the fire is too strong, then you’ll have to spread the contents more frequently.
Spreading out the content will destroy bonds between embers and wood inside the fireplace, making it easier for the fire to cool down eventually.
2. Use the Ashes
The fireplace contents are spread apart, and now you need to use ashes created by the fire to help extinguish it.
Use a small shovel to collect the ashes, and cover the embers and wood inside the fire with ashes.
It’ll help put out the fire faster, preying on the weaker bonds between embers and wood inside the fireplace.
Keep shoveling the ashes over and over on the fire, you can fully take it out with ashes alone.
However, don’t keep close contact with the fire as ashes can damage your lungs when you inhale them by accident.
3. Add Baking Soda.
Baking soda has a single goal to fulfill, which is extinguishing any remaining undetected embers.
Apply baking soda over the fire, while others would suggest using sodium bicarbonate.
We advise using baking soda as it’s available in nearly every house.
4. Deal with Remaining Ashes
The remaining ashes shouldn’t be thrown away once the fire is put out.
We even have a full guide on how to deal with ashes, visit it to know how to deal with remaining ashes.
Some would just store them in a container to use for the next round of warmth-seeking, others would store the ashes in a corner inside the fireplace.
Visit the guide to make up your mind.
Don’t Use Water
It’s a common myth that water is the best fire extinguisher.
Spoiler alert: It’s not!
Using water to put out a fire in a fireplace is wrong in many ways.
It’ll create a huge smoke screen that’s poisonous for everyone, kids and pets alike.
It’s also one of the most common ways of damaging the masonry in your fireplace.
Putting out the fire using water will always leave a huge mess in the place too.
In conclusion, don’t use water to put out the fire.
Conclusion
You’ve finished moving through our WarmthPedia guide on How to Put out Fire in a Fireplace, explaining every step along the way.
You have detailed instructions for how to put out a fire in a fireplace, before, and during the process itself.
Additionally, we advise against using water in fire extinguishing, as the old myths shouldn’t be followed by any means.
If you have any questions regarding how to put a fire in a fireplace at WarmthPedia, feel free to ask us in the comments section below.