re: #106 Pawn of the Oppressor

Creosote will smolder for hours, then suddenly burst into flames. If anything combustible is resting against the brickwork (there’s supposed to be a gap between chimneys and wood framing), it may get hot enough to catch fire, too.

Worse yet is an old chimney needing repointing. Gaps in the mortar will let flames and hot gases out, increasing the chances of a fire.

I heated a house for several years with a wood stove and a wood furnace. I thought about this stuff a lot back then.