Safe Ash Disposal Tips From New Canaan Fire Department

The following article is from New Canaan Fire Marshal Fred S. Baker:

Five Days. That is how long an ember can remain active in fireplace ashes after the flames have gone out. Until then, if you must, ashes must be removed to a metal container with a tight lid for safe disposal. The container then must be removed to an outside area away from a structure or anything combustible.

New Canaan has already experienced its first ash disposal related fire where ashes were dumped in the woods
causing a small brush fire.

This fall, the New Canaan Fire Department is holding a free drawing for 4 metal ash disposal buckets, curtesy of New Canaan Firefighters and Weed and Duryea. Entry forms can be obtained at Weed and Duryea, at New Canaan Fire Headquarters or by sending your name and address to the New Canaan Firefighters at newcanaanfirefighters@hotmail.com (New Canaan residents only please).

Following is a list of safety tips for safe disposal of ashes:

1. Let’em wait! What’s the rush? It’s a fireplace/wood stove/grill. Fires actually burn better with a bed of
ashes.

2. Be mindful that several of the past experiences with improper ash disposal have involved housekeepers or
care takers being “helpful” and cleaning out the fireplace and then placing the ashes in the trash.

3. If you insist, use an approved metal container with a tight lid. These are available at Weed and Duryea
and other home goods locations.

4. Also little known is the fact that if the improperly disposed of ashes don’t set your house on fire, they can
ignite in the garbage truck which is a real quagmire as the truck must quickly dump the load, wherever
they are, in the street! That is the true definition of a MESS!

5. And if they don’t erupt in the garbage truck, they can create quite a problem when they ignite at the
Recycling Center/Transfer Station.

6. Make sure you have working smoke and carbon monoxide detectors to safe guard against any fire or
carbon monoxide situation.

As you may recall the horrific Christmas morning fire in Stamford was caused by improper disposal of fireplace ashes. Please be safe for your family’s sake.

For additional information regarding this, or any other fire safety topic, please contact the New Canaan Fire
Marshal’s Office at 203-594- 3030.

Image via Shutterstock

(Editor's Note: Patch is re-posting this story in case you missed it the first time around.)