TWO chimney fires in the Cirencester area have been put out by Gloucestershire Fire and Rescue Service since the beginning of the week.

AROUND 6.15pm on November Monday the service was called to a house in Barnsley, near Cirencester, to put out the first fire.

A crew from Cirencester station was sent and five firefighters spent half an hour dealing with the blaze and making sure that there were no remaining hotspots.

In a second unrelated incident firefighters from Cirencester station were called to a chimney fire in Gloucester Street in Cirencester.

It took more than an hour to extinguish the chimney and make sure that it would not reignite.

As a result of the increase in chimney fires recently Gloucestershire Fire and Rescue Service has issued extra safety advice on how to keep your home safe.

Gloucestershire Fire and Rescue Service deal with as many as 300 chimney fires each year and this has only been rising thanks to an increase in the popularity of solid fuel fires.

Chimney fires are usually started when high temperatures or flames from a very hot fire extend into a chimney and deposits of ash of soot ignite.

The advice from the fire service is that if you have a chimney in your home make sure it is clean and safe for use. Poorly maintained chimneys, hearths and fireplaces can increase the risk of fire breaking out in your home.

Chimneys should be cleaned between once a year and at least twice a year depending on the fuel you use in fires.

For a chart explaining how often chimneys should be cleaned and further information about how to prevent chimney fires visit: http://bit.ly/1o0O5Lt