Chimney Damage After a Wildfire

A House Can Survive and the Chimney Still Take Damage

Southern California has learned hard lessons about wildfire. The Woolsey fire in 2018 burned through the hills west of the Valley. In January 2025, the Palisades and Eaton fires burned on both sides of the city, pushed by Santa Ana winds. Thousands of houses did not burn but sat in smoke, ash and wind-driven embers for days.

Chimneys on those houses often took damage that is easy to miss. Embers fall into open flues. Ash packs into cap screens. Radiant heat from a nearby burn can crack a crown or soften a thin cap. And smoke and ash settle inside the flue and on the damper, where they stay acidic and keep smelling for months.

For homes in Sherman Oaks, particularly in the hills south of Ventura Boulevard that back onto the Santa Monica Mountains, this is a real concern every fire season, not only after a large fire.

What to Check From the Ground

Before anyone climbs up, you can learn a lot from the yard and from inside.

• - The cap. Look at it with binoculars or a phone camera on zoom. Is the mesh black and solid with debris? Is the cap bent or discolored?
• The crown and top bricks. New cracks, spalling, or brick faces that popped off.
• The roof around the chimney. Debris, ash and embers collect in the corner on the uphill side.
• The firebox. Ash on the firebox floor or smoke shelf that you did not put there.
• The smell. A smoky smell from the fireplace that did not exist before the fire, especially on warm days.

Photograph what you see, with the date. If you plan to file a smoke or fire claim, those photos help.

What We Check on the Visit

After a nearby wildfire, we treat the chimney the way NFPA 211 treats any outside event likely to have caused damage: a Level 2 inspection. That covers the cap, crown and outside masonry, a camera run through the flue, the flashing, and the attic around the chimney.

The Level 2 runs $325 for a Sherman Oaks home. If ash and soot coat the flue, a sweep from $225 often comes first so the camera sees clean surfaces. The report opens with whether the fireplace can be used, then lists each finding with its photo.

What It Usually Costs to Put Right

Most wildfire damage we see on standing houses sits near the top of the chimney.

• - Cap replacement. A cap clogged, warped or burned through is replaced with a stainless cap with spark arrestor mesh, $170 to $680 installed, depending on the size of the crown and number of flues.
• Sweep and cleaning. Ash and soot in the flue and firebox come out with a sweep and a fireplace cleaning, which also lowers the smoke smell.
• Crown repair. A heat-cracked crown is repaired or rebuilt, quoted in writing after inspection.
• Flashing. Ember damage to the roofing next to the chimney is resealed, sometimes with a roofer.

Deeper damage, a cracked liner or heat damage to the brick, is less common unless the house was very close to the fire line. It is quoted after the camera run.

What Decides the Price, and the First Step

The quote depends on how close the fire came, how long the house sat in smoke and ash, and what the chimney is made of. A stainless cap on a sound crown may only need cleaning. A galvanized cap that sat in heat for hours usually needs replacing. A crown with old cracks will have taken more damage than a newer one.

You can find out where you stand before anyone visits. Send us photos of the cap, the crown and the firebox through the quote form, and we will tell you whether you need a full Level 2 or a cap replacement and sweep, and what each costs.

When the Chimney Is Left Standing on a Burned House

On houses that burned, the chimney is often the last thing standing. It may look solid, but heat and fire hose water work on old mortar, and many older chimneys are unreinforced brick. A chimney left standing after a house fire is a hazard: it can fall in wind or in the next earthquake. Stay clear of it, keep children away, and do not let anyone knock it down before it is photographed if a claim is open.

Rebuilding a house usually means rebuilding or replacing the chimney to current code, with steel reinforcement and anchoring to the new framing, or choosing a direct-vent gas fireplace instead, which runs $4,500 to $9,050 and needs no masonry chimney. That choice is best made early with the architect or builder.

Air Rules After a Fire

South Coast air rules already limit wood burning in Los Angeles County on no-burn days in the winter. After a wildfire, the air is often poor for days. Even when your chimney is fine, wait until the air clears before burning.

Preparing for the Next Fire Season

A sound stainless cap with spark arrestor mesh, a clean flue, a crown with no cracks and a clear roof around the chimney are the best preparation. A yearly inspection before fall catches the small things before the Santa Ana season.

The Next Step

If your home sat in smoke or ash during a fire, have the chimney checked before you use it. Owners in Sherman Oaks and across the Valley can call us to book the visit and hear the price on the call.