The Izmir Metropolitan Municipality called on citizens to be careful against fires caused by chimneys and stoves, especially in the winter months, and poisoning. According to statistics, 305 fires broke out in Izmir last year due to chimney fires. This rate was recorded as 2024 in the first 9 months of 227. The Izmir Fire Department warned that chimneys should be cleaned by authorized companies against possible fires or poisonings.
The Izmir Metropolitan Municipality called on citizens to be careful against increasing chimney fires and stove poisoning during the winter months. According to fire department reports, 305 chimney-related fires broke out in Izmir last year. This rate includes 2.35 percent of the total fires. In the 2024-month period of 9, 227 fires broke out. This also constitutes 1.59 percent of the total fires. The Izmir Metropolitan Municipality Fire Department Education Branch Directorate informs citizens with the training it provides to prevent such incidents, which frequently result in deaths.
“We would reduce fires by 50 percent”
Fire Department Training Chief Bülent Yanaşık, who is on duty at the Education Branch Directorate, said that they have encountered many incidents that resulted in death because the necessary precautions were not taken in his 31-year career. Emphasizing that citizens should have their chimneys cleaned and make preliminary preparations so that they do not get hurt, Bülent Yanaşık said, “Chimneys need to be cleaned especially during seasonal transitions. Chimney vents and chimney interiors should be cleaned by companies authorized by the Fire Department Presidency. If we do these properly, we will reduce fires by 50 percent.”
“Do not add to the bucket without changing it”
Emphasizing that one of the biggest reasons for fires is leaving children alone at home, Yanaşık said, “Clothes left to dry around the stove are also one of the biggest factors in starting fires. Accelerants such as gasoline and thinner thrown into the stove to ignite it also cause fires. After lighting the stove, our citizens should remove materials around it that could cause a fire. One of the biggest mistakes made is to put new products on the bucket without changing it after wood and coal have burned in the stove. This causes carbon monoxide poisoning. When you put unburned material on top of a burning material, it is inevitable that there will be poisoning inside.”
The insidious danger in homes: “Sleeping stove”
Drawing attention to the threat of “sleeping stoves” in homes, Bülent Yanaşık said, “When stoves are lit, we turn them off when the temperature increases. We call this a ‘sleeping stove’. When it is turned back on, when it is seen that the contents of the stove are not burning, thinner or gasoline is poured on it. This can also cause an explosion. We should never open a burning stove and pour any material. We should leave it alone. It should burn and go out like this. There should be no flammable products such as blankets or blankets around the stove. In order to prevent these from happening, all maintenance of the stoves should be done and precautions should be taken from the moment they are installed until they are removed.
"Some substances are used to clean chimneys," he said.
“The more oxygen it takes in, the more combustion occurs.”
Fire Department Central Region Group Chief Fuat Eroğlu also said that there has been an increase in chimney fires as the weather gets colder. Stating that when they go to such fire reports, they first check whether it is a workplace or a building chimney and intervene accordingly, Eroğlu said the following: “We do not find it very healthy to extinguish with water in concrete buildings. We usually intervene with the smothering method and dry chemical powders. Our priority is to prevent chimney fires from turning into building fires. If chimney fires are not intervened correctly and in a timely manner, they can turn into building fires. This can cause even bigger problems.”
“Some mistakes we make can cause poisoning”
Ebru Kervankıran, who works as an instructor at the Education Branch Directorate, also shared important information about the use of natural gas. Ebru Kervankıran, who explained that they aim to prevent fires and reduce the risk of fire with the training they provide, said, “
These days when the weather is getting colder, we are frequently faced with chimney fires and carbon monoxide poisoning. Natural gas is also very important for this reason. Some mistakes we make can cause poisoning. Especially the aspirator chimneys, which we call oily channels, need to be cleaned regularly. Since these types of chimneys are used more in businesses, they should be cleaned frequently. A detection detector needs to be installed according to the nature of the gas in the type of stove used,” he said.
What to do against natural gas poisoning
Ebru Kervankıran emphasized that the gas detection detector connected to the sensor solenoid valve prevents possible poisoning cases by cutting off the gas flow when there is a gas leak. Kervankıran said, “There are vents on the windows of houses with natural gas. We close these in various ways in the winter months to prevent cold or dust. In fact, they need to remain open. There needs to be air opening to the atmosphere. When there is a gas leak, natural gas rises upwards because it is lighter than air. It is absolutely necessary to leave these vents open on the upper part of the window and in areas where there are combi boilers. Not every gas leak causes an explosion. However, it is useful to be careful when you smell gas. Therefore, when you enter your house, first smell the environment. Is there a gas smell? If you smell gas, do not touch the lamps. Do not turn off the fuses. Cut off the gas at the source and ventilate the environment. The tops of natural gas pipes that are open should definitely not be covered.”
