Emergency Chimney Service in Lockport, IL
When a fireplace or heating system turns dangerous, minutes matter. This page walks through the five chimney emergencies we get called for most, what the warning signs look like, and the safe steps to take right now. Noble Chimney Sweepers serves Lockport and the southwest Chicago suburbs seven days a week, 7 AM to 7 PM, and we work to NFPA 211 on every call.
Call 911 first if you see active flames beyond the firebox, smell gas, hear a carbon monoxide alarm, or anyone feels dizzy, nauseous, or confused. Get outside, then call us to make the chimney safe to use again.
Chimney Fire
A chimney fire is creosote inside the flue catching light. Some are dramatic; many are quiet and do their damage without you ever seeing a flame. Either way the liner takes the hit.
Warning signs
- A loud roaring or rumbling, like a freight train, coming from the chimney
- Dense smoke pushing back into the room and a hot, ticking chimney chase
- Sparks, flames, or glowing debris shooting from the top of the chimney
- A dull quiet-fire aftermath: puffy honeycomb creosote, a warped damper, or cracked flue tiles you only find later
What to do right now
- Get everyone out of the house.
- Call 911.
- If you can do it without reaching into heat, close the glass doors and shut the air supply to starve the fire of oxygen.
- Aim a dry-chemical extinguisher or a chimney-fire suppressant stick at the firebox only, never up the flue, and only if it is safe.
- Do not light another fire until the flue has had a Level 2 camera inspection.
Why it is urgent. A chimney fire can push past 2,000 degrees and crack a clay liner in minutes. Even one that appears to burn out leaves gaps that let the next fire reach your framing.
Carbon Monoxide (CO) Leak
Carbon monoxide is a colorless, odorless gas from incomplete combustion. When a flue cannot vent properly, CO backs into the living space instead of leaving through the chimney.
Warning signs
- A CO alarm sounding, or going quiet then sounding again
- Headache, dizziness, nausea, or drowsiness that hits more than one person, and pets, at the same time
- A gas flame burning yellow or orange instead of crisp blue
- Soot or dark staining around the appliance and heavy condensation on nearby windows
What to do right now
- Get every person and pet outside into fresh air immediately.
- Call 911 from outside, not from indoors.
- Do not go back in until responders say it is clear.
- Shut the appliance off only if the valve is on your way out.
- Have the venting inspected and cleared before anything is relit.
Why it is urgent. CO binds to your blood roughly 200 times faster than oxygen. Symptoms slide into confusion and unconsciousness with little warning, which is why you leave first and diagnose later.
Severe Flue Blockage
A blockage is anything that stops combustion gases from leaving: a thick creosote plug, a collapsed tile, leaves and debris, or a bird or raccoon nest. The smoke and gases have nowhere to go but back at you.
Warning signs
- Smoke filling the room the moment you light a fire
- A fire that will not catch or keeps smothering itself
- A strong smoke smell indoors and staining around the damper
- Scratching, chirping, or flapping sounds from inside the chimney
What to do right now
- Put the fire out and open nearby windows.
- Do not relight it to test whether it clears.
- If a CO alarm sounded, treat it as a CO emergency and get out.
- Call us to run a camera up the flue, identify the obstruction, and clear it.
Why it is urgent. A blocked flue routes smoke and carbon monoxide straight into the home and sharply raises the odds of a chimney fire the next time you light up.
Smoke Backdrafting
Backdrafting is smoke rolling back into the room instead of rising up the flue. It is usually a pressure problem, a cold or capless flue, or a partial blockage at the top.
Warning signs
- Smoke spilling into the room on startup and a fireplace that will not draw
- Soot building on the fireplace face and a smoky smell when the furnace or water heater runs
- The spill getting worse when a bathroom fan, range hood, or the dryer is running
- A missing or crushed chimney cap letting wind push air back down
What to do right now
- Crack a window near the fireplace to break the pressure imbalance.
- Put the fire out if smoke keeps spilling in.
- Turn off competing exhaust fans and the dryer.
- If the appliance that is backdrafting runs on gas, treat it as a CO risk and ventilate.
- Call us to pin down the draft, cap, or blockage behind it.
Why it is urgent. Backdrafting drags combustion byproducts, carbon monoxide among them, into the air your family is breathing.
Sudden Structural Damage
Sometimes the emergency is the chimney itself: a stack that leans, sheds bricks, or pulls away from the house after a storm, a lightning strike, settling, or an impact.
Warning signs
- Bricks or chunks of mortar on the roof or on the ground
- A visible lean, or a widening gap between the chimney and the siding
- Fresh cracks in the crown, the firebox, or the exterior masonry
- Daylight visible through the flue, or a cap that has tilted
What to do right now
- Keep people away from the base of the chimney and the roofline beneath it.
- Do not light a fire.
- Photograph the damage for your insurer before anything is moved.
- Tarp exposed masonry only if you can reach it safely from the ground.
- Call us to assess whether the stack is stable and what has to happen before you use it again.
Why it is urgent. A compromised stack can drop masonry onto people below or open a breach straight into the flue. Lockport freeze-thaw cycles widen a new crack fast, so a small lean in fall becomes a real hazard by midwinter.
Call 911 First, Then Call Noble
Not sure which call comes first? Use this line.
Call 911 immediately if there are active flames beyond the firebox, you smell gas, a carbon monoxide alarm is sounding, or anyone feels dizzy, nauseous, or confused. Leave the house and make that call from outside.
Then call Noble at (708) 432-5747 once responders have cleared the scene, or first when there is no active fire or CO. That is the part we own: the inspection, cleaning, relining, or masonry repair that makes the chimney safe to use again. We answer seven days a week, 7 AM to 7 PM, we work to NFPA 211, and owner Daniel Watkins runs or supervises every job.
Emergency Chimney FAQs
Do you offer after-hours emergency chimney service?
We take calls seven days a week from 7 AM to 7 PM and move emergency visits to the front of the schedule, same day whenever we can reach you. If it is a life-threatening situation, such as active flames or a carbon monoxide alarm, call 911 first and us right after.
My carbon monoxide alarm went off. What should I do first?
Get everyone and your pets outside into fresh air, then call 911 from outside. Do not go back in until responders clear it. Once the scene is safe, call us to find why the flue was not venting and to fix it before anything is relit.
How do I know if I actually had a chimney fire?
Some are loud and obvious. Many are quiet and only leave clues: puffy or honeycombed creosote, a warped damper, cracked or lifted flue tiles, or discolored rain cap. Because the damage hides inside the flue, any suspected chimney fire needs a Level 2 camera inspection before you burn again.
Can I use my fireplace after a chimney fire?
No, not until it has been inspected. A chimney fire can crack the liner and open a path to your framing that you cannot see from the firebox. We camera-scan the full flue, show you what we find, and tell you plainly whether it is safe or needs relining.
How fast can you get to me in the Lockport area?
We are based in Lockport and serve the southwest suburbs, so during our hours we can often be out the same day. Tell us what is happening when you call and we will give you a straight answer on timing.
What does emergency chimney service cost?
It depends on what we find, so we give you the price up front before any work starts. There are no surprise invoices after the fact. You can see our standard starting prices on the pricing page.
Is a sweep enough, or do I need a camera inspection?
After any chimney fire, CO alarm, or backdraft, a sweep alone is not enough. Those events call for a Level 2 camera inspection so we can see the inside of the flue, not just clean the surface.
Do you work with my homeowners insurance?
Sudden events such as a lightning strike, storm damage, or a documented chimney fire are often covered. We provide written inspection reports with photos that give your adjuster exactly what they need to make the call.
Published October 20, 2026 by Daniel Watkins, owner, Noble Chimney Sweepers.