Emergency Chimney Service in Mokena, IL

1. Chimney fire

What it is: burning creosote inside the flue. It can roar like a freight train and shoot sparks from the top, or it can burn quietly and slowly, which is more common and more dangerous because it goes unnoticed while it cracks the liner.

Warning signs: a loud roaring or cracking sound, dense smoke, a strong hot odor, flames or glowing debris at the top of the chimney, or afterward, puffy honeycombed creosote and cracked flue tiles.

What to do right now:

1. Get everyone out of the house.
2. Call 911 if the fire is active.
3. If you can do so safely, close the fireplace doors or the damper intake to starve it of air, and use an extinguisher at the firebox only.
4. Do not pour water up the flue; the steam can crack the liner.
5. After the fire department clears the home, do not light another fire until the chimney is inspected.

Why it is urgent: even a fire that seems to go out on its own can crack the liner and leave the next fire free to reach your framing. A Level 2 inspection is required before the chimney is used again.

2. Carbon monoxide (CO) leak

What it is: colorless, odorless gas from incomplete combustion backing up into the home instead of venting out, usually because a flue is blocked, a liner has failed, or an appliance is malfunctioning.

Warning signs: a CO detector alarm, headaches, dizziness, nausea, or sleepiness that eases when you leave the house, a yellow or lazy flame on a gas appliance instead of crisp blue, and heavy soot or moisture near the appliance.

What to do right now:

1. Get everyone and pets outside to fresh air immediately.
2. Call 911 if anyone feels ill.
3. Do not go back inside to open windows or hunt for the source.
4. Turn off the suspected appliance only if you can do it on your way out.
5. Do not use the fireplace or that appliance again until it and the venting are inspected.

Why it is urgent: CO poisoning can be fatal and gives little warning. Our gas fireplace service and venting inspection find and fix the cause.

3. Severe flue blockage

What it is: the flue is obstructed by a bird or animal nest, collapsed liner tiles, heavy debris, or a thick creosote plug, so smoke and gases cannot escape.

Warning signs: smoke pours into the room the moment you light a fire, the fire will not draw, you see nesting material or debris at the top, or you hear animals in the chimney.

What to do right now:

1. Put the fire out and open windows and doors to clear smoke.
2. Shut the damper once the firebox is cold to stop drafts.
3. Do not relight until the blockage is cleared.
4. If an animal is trapped, do not light a fire; call for humane removal.

Why it is urgent: a blocked flue forces smoke and carbon monoxide into living space. A professional sweep clears the blockage and confirms the flue is open.

4. Smoke backdrafting

What it is: smoke reversing down the chimney into the home instead of rising out, often from negative air pressure in a tight house, a cold flue, a missing or damaged cap, or competing exhaust fans.

Warning signs: smoke and odor entering the room during or after a fire, soot staining above the fireplace opening, and a fireplace that is hard to start and keeps smoking.

What to do right now:

1. Crack a window near the fireplace to relieve the pressure.
2. Turn off kitchen and bath exhaust fans and the clothes dryer.
3. Let the fire die down if smoke keeps entering.
4. Have the cap, flue size, and draft assessed before the next fire.

Why it is urgent: backdrafting puts combustion gases and carbon monoxide into your air. A proper cap and a draft check usually solve it.

5. Sudden structural damage

What it is: the masonry structure failing, from a lightning strike, a severe storm, an impact, long-term water damage, or an earthquake, leaving the chimney unstable.

Warning signs: a leaning chimney, fallen bricks, large cracks in the stack, chunks of masonry in the firebox or on the roof, or a gap opening between the chimney and the house.

What to do right now:

1. Keep everyone away from the chimney, inside and outside the home.
2. Do not use the fireplace.
3. If bricks are falling or the stack is leaning over a walkway, rope off the area.
4. Call for an emergency assessment before weather makes it worse.

Why it is urgent: an unstable chimney can collapse into the home or onto people. Our repair and masonry team stabilizes and rebuilds damaged structures.

When in doubt, stop using it and call

If you are not sure how serious a chimney problem is, treat it as serious: stop using the fireplace or appliance and call us. We would far rather check something that turns out minor than have you risk a fire or a carbon monoxide leak. We serve Mokena and the surrounding south suburbs, we work to the NFPA 211 standard, and we are fully insured and bonded.

📞 Call (708) 500-6096

Not an emergency, but worried about a warning sign? Read our chimney symptoms guide.

Frequently asked questions