Eagle County Drops to Stage 1: Fire Safety at Home Before You Light the First Fire

At 12:01 a.m. on Friday, September 4, Eagle County stepped down from Stage 2 to Stage 1 fire restrictions, the first easing since late June. Recent rain made it possible. It did not end the fire season, and Sheriff James van Beek said so directly: “While recent rain has brought welcome relief and allowed us to step down to Stage 1 restrictions, fire season isn’t over. It has been a remarkably dry year, and we remain in an extreme drought.” With cooler evenings here, this is also the month people light the fireplace or the wood stove for the first time since spring. Both are good reasons to slow down. A chimney fire or a furnace puffback leaves soot through the whole house, and cleaning it up is fire and smoke restoration work.

This guide covers what Stage 1 allows, how to get a fireplace or stove ready for its first fire, and what to do if smoke backs up into the house.

What Stage 1 still restricts

• Campfires are allowed only in designated metal fire grates in developed campgrounds. Rock rings and fire pans do not qualify.
• Gas and liquid-fuel stoves and fireplaces with a shut-off valve are allowed with at least 15 feet of clearance from anything combustible.
• Fireworks and other explosives remain prohibited.
• Rules differ by jurisdiction. Towns set some of their own rules, so check with the Town of Eagle or Eagle County before you light anything outdoors.

Before the first fire indoors

1. Have the chimney inspected and swept. Creosote from last winter is fuel. Fire-safety guidance calls for an inspection every year.
2. Check the damper and the cap. Birds and rodents build nests in flues over the summer.
3. Burn dry, seasoned wood. Wet wood burns cool and lays down creosote quickly.
4. Put ashes in a metal can with a lid and set it outside on bare ground or concrete, away from the house. Ashes can hold live embers for days, which matters a great deal in an extreme drought.
5. Service the furnace or boiler. A dirty oil or gas burner can misfire at startup and blow soot through the ducts. That is a puffback.
6. Test smoke and carbon monoxide alarms and replace the batteries.

If smoke or soot backs up into the house

1. Get everyone out and call 911 if you suspect a chimney fire. A loud roar, dense smoke, or flames at the chimney top are the signs.
2. Shut the appliance down and do not relight it until it has been inspected.
3. Turn off the HVAC fan so soot is not carried to other rooms.
4. Leave the soot alone. Wiping it dry smears it into paint and fabric.
5. Photograph the damage before any cleanup.

What DRS does on site

Our Eagle County crews respond 24/7. A typical soot or puffback call in Eagle includes:

• Assessment of soot spread through rooms, contents, and ductwork
• Cleaning of walls, ceilings, and hard surfaces with chemistry made for oily soot
• HVAC and duct cleaning
• Contents and textile cleaning and odor removal
• Documentation for your insurer

Common mistakes Eagle homeowners make

• Reading Stage 1 as all clear. The county is still in extreme drought.
• Skipping the sweep because the fireplace was barely used last year.
• Putting ashes in a paper bag, a plastic bin, or the trash.
• Scrubbing soot with household cleaner, which sets the stain.

When to call a pro versus handle it yourself

Alarms, ash handling, and dry firewood are on you. Chimney inspection and furnace service belong to licensed trades. The Eagle Chamber of Commerce business directory lists local heating, plumbing, and roofing companies. Once soot is on the walls or in the ducts, call a restoration crew before you try to clean it.

If a first fire of the season went wrong, we can clean it up. See how we serve Eagle or request an inspection.