The Shop Fire that didn't happen

[Dave Seng]

This morning, as per my usual routine, after feeding the dogs and cat, I went out to the shop to build a fire in the wood stove. Again, per my usual routine, I shovel the ashes from the previous day's fire into a METAL bucket. I've gotten lazy and don't always put the lid on the bucket. So, as I reached over to pull the bucket closer to the stove to put yesterday's ashes in it, this morning I noticed that the bucket was warm. Strangely warm. A little digging around in the bucket with a bare hand (yeah, I'm a fireman, I should know better!) revealed that the bucket of ashes wasn't just warm, there was hot stuff in there! I quickly used the ash shovel to dig around further into the bucket - Yep, sure as shooting - there were hot ashes and coals!

The only thing that I can think of is that YESTERDAY morning - a hot coal got put into the bucket along with the rest of the ashes. And it smoldered for 24 hours in the ashes and coals in the bucket. The METAL bucket. Without me noticing - and I was in the shop for 4 or 5 hours yesterday.

So - for those of you that have a wood stove, or those that may in the future, ashes go into a fire proof container - and keep the lid on it when you're not filling it or emptying it. Fire is always hungry for air.

[Bruce Volden]

I also heat with wood, house and shop. Ash is a very good insulator and coals will give off heat for hours!
A container with a top to "smother" hot coals is the way to go.
I clean the ash every couple of days-if it's really cold then I have to remove it daily.

Bruce

[Jim Koepke]

When we heat with wood it is often a fire can be started in the morning with the coals still going from the night before.

One of my brothers was a fireman, another was on city counsel and then mayor. There were many tales of fires caused by people thinking the ashes were out from the day before.

jtk