Violation of furnace operating rules has been and remains one of the most common causes of fires

Violation of furnace operating rules has been and remains one of the most common causes of fires.

With the onset of cold weather, fires due to stove heating occur almost daily, most often as a result of overheating of stoves, cracks in the brickwork, as a result of using flammable and combustible liquids for kindling, and burning coals falling out of the firebox or ash pan. In addition, stoves are often left unattended during firing. In severe frosts, stoves are fired for a long time, which leads to overheating of some of their parts, and if these parts come into contact with wooden walls or furniture, a fire is inevitable.

On the afternoon of January 25, 2023, rescuers received a report
of a residential building fire in Bolshiye Rogi village, Zhlobin district, Gomel region. At the time of the fire, the owner's 15-year-old son was in the house. The teenager, smelling smoke, ran into the boiler room, saw the fire, and began
to extinguish it himself. He was hospitalized with body burns that the child received while extinguishing the fire himself. The cause of the tragedy was a violation of the rules for operating stoves, heat-generating units, and devices.

On April 18,2023, rescuers received a report of a fire
in Buchatino village, Kopyl district, Minsk region. As it turned out, no one was home at the time of the fire. Careless owners, confident that nothing bad would happen, started the boiler in the morning and went to work. The boiler was in disrepair. A spark flew out of the boiler through a crack and fell on the nearby garbage, after which it caught fire, and the fire spread through the house structures.

On the night of December 3,2023, in Smilovichi village, Cherven district, Minsk region, a man was rescued during a residential building fire. As it turned out, the man could not sleep, he decided to watch TV.
At some point, he smelled burning and, turning his head, saw smoke coming from under the ceiling. After unsuccessful attempts to extinguish the fire, the desperate man ran to his neighbors to call rescuers. It was later found out that the owner's brother, who lived in the house, had repeatedly fired the stove over the past day, which had through cracks and had long required repair. The owner neglected
both whitewashing and plastering the chimney in the attic. The cause of the fire was violations of the rules for operating stove heating.

A tragic incident occurred on December 3 last year
in Konkovichi village, Petrykaŭ district, Gomel region. A family of three (spouses aged 37 and 38, and their 10-year-old daughter) died in the fire. The previous evening, a blanket that was lying near the stove caught fire in the house. It was the violation of the rules for operating stove heating that subsequently led to the death of all three family members.

So, to prevent a fire in the house, you need to keep stove heating in order according to fire safety norms and rules.

First, the stove must have its own foundation. There must be an air gap – a clearance – between the stove walls and wooden structures.

Second, the stove must not have cracks or gaps, and the chimney must have good draft and be whitewashed with lime mortar. This is done so that cracks appearing over time can be noticed against the white background. Black smoke marks in the areas of cracks indicate that the stove's airtightness is compromised. Stoves that are several decades old require special attention. As a rule, they were built from ordinary red brick, not fire-resistant brick.

Third, the stove and chimney at the points of connection
with wooden ceilings must have a thickened brickwork or a fire cut. To prevent accidentally falling burning coals from causing a fire, nail a metal sheet to the wooden floor in front of the firebox.

Fourth, it is recommended to fire the stove two or three times a day for no more than one and a half hours. Stop firing at least 2 hours before bedtime. During this time, the firewood will have time to burn out, and the chimney can be closed. Under no circumstances use flammable and combustible liquids for kindling. Also, do not leave the firebox doors open and the stove unattended while it is being fired. Keep clothes, furniture, firewood, and other combustible materials at least one and a half meters away from the stove. Ash and burnt coals should be poured with water until smoldering completely stops before being discarded.

And now let's expand our vocabulary and recall some terms and definitions related to stove heating.