The alarm went off on time.
SAFI chimney fire extinguisher saved Jørgen and Kamilla's house from a major fire.
What started as a perfectly normal Sunday evening at Jørgen and Kamilla Thorsdalen's home ended with the fire department calling out — and a chimney fire in their house on Grim. The couple has no doubt what made the difference.
Jørgen and Kamilla Thorsdalen in front of the house at Grim, originally built in 1897.
– The fire department told me that there had been a chimney fire, and that it had been extinguished by the SAFI chimney fire extinguisher ,
— Jorgen Thorsdalen
Their house, which was purchased in March last year, was originally built in 1897. Jørgen says that he had been burning regularly throughout the winter, and this evening he was just going to burn the rest of the wood that was left.
While Kamilla was in the kitchen cooking dinner, Jørgen lit the fireplace.
– Then Jørgen disappeared out of the room for a bit, and suddenly it started beeping. At first I didn't understand what it was, but then I realized it was the SAFI that was alerting. Then I called him right away, says Kamilla.
"At first I didn't understand what it was
— then I understood that it was the SAFI that alerted.”
— Kamilla Thorsdalen
Jørgen and Kamilla Thorsdalen in front of the house at Grim, originally built in 1897.
Closed the door. Called 110.
They received clear instructions from the SAFI's indoor unit to close the vent and call the fire department, which they did immediately.
Jørgen says that at first he didn't see any visible flames from the chimney, but that smoke was coming out. The fire department asked them to listen for crackling noises from the chimney - a clear sign of a chimney fire.
– After a while we suddenly heard the crackling. Then I ran down to the sweeper's hatch in the basement and saw that embers were falling down the chimney. Then we called the fire department again, he says.
A short time later, the fire department arrived with two cars. When they arrived, they found that there had been a chimney fire, but that the fire had extinguished itself before it could spread further.
Jørgen and Kamilla are today very happy that the SAFI unit notified and extinguished the fire, and probably saved their house.
A real wake-up call
– If it weren't for SAFI, it is very likely that the chimney fire would have developed and spread to the house before we had discovered it and called the fire department, says Jørgen.
Kamilla nods firmly next to him.
– Even if we get a new pipe one day, Jørgen is not allowed to fire without a SAFI. He doesn't do that, she says with a smile.
Werner Øveråsen, inspector in the Kristiansand Region Fire and Rescue.
"The chimney fire extinguisher has done its job."
According to the fire crew who arrived at the scene, there were clear signs of strong heat development in the pipe run, but as Inspector Werner Øveråsen at the Kristiansand Region Fire and Rescue reasons:
-That incident here with the chimney fire. It took place in an older wooden house, and it was a relatively severe chimney fire. There was a lot of soot in the chimney and it was burning for almost the entire length of the chimney. The danger and consequences of that are that it can develop further, and ultimately it can become a building fire. In this case here, the fire was extinguished, so in this case, in my opinion, the chimney fire extinguisher has done what it is intended to do.
The little gray box is all the difference — the SAFI unit mounted on the outside of the barrel, connected to the extinguishing mechanism in the barrel.
A real wake-up call
– If it weren't for SAFI, it is very likely that the chimney fire would have developed and spread to the house before we had discovered it and called the fire department, says Jørgen.
Kamilla nods firmly next to him.
– Even if we get a new pipe one day, Jørgen is not allowed to fire without a SAFI. He doesn't do that, she says with a smile.