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Thwart Fire Damage from Your Fireplace in Chicago with these Smart Strategies

Sam Simon

November 18, 2015

With late October and early November temperatures dropping below 50 degrees, it’s the perfect time of year to start using the wood-burning fireplace in your Chicago home. After all, there’s nothing quite like the cozy warmth and crackling sounds that a wood-burning fire creates.

Unfortunately, if your fireplace isn’t taken care of properly or monitored cautiously while it’s lit, a chimney fire or out-of-control spark can cause tremendous

fire and smoke damage.

According to the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA), fire departments in this country responded to over 53,000 home structure fires in 2011 that involved heating equipment, including fireplaces. (Statistics for 2012-2014 are not yet available.)

If your mesmerizing, crackling fireplace turns into a nightmare, reach out immediately to the fire and smoke damage restoration specialists at ServiceMaster Restoration By Simons. Over the years, we’ve helped thousands of families and businesses with fire, smoke, and water damage restoration, and our professional, courteous, and well-trained damage restoration specialists can help you, too! Our company serves 18 Chicago neighborhoods, including Logan Square, The Loop, West Loop, and West Town.

To keep yourself and your family safe and to prevent fire damage in your Chicago home, make an appointment with a reputable chimney sweep in the fall or early winter to remove soot and debris. If you burn more than three cords of wood per year, you should have your chimney cleaned twice a year, says the NFPA.

Here are several additional fireplace safety strategies to put into place before throwing another log on the fire:

  • Clean out ashes from previous fires before starting a new one.
  • Open the fireplace flue before starting the fire.
  • Keep combustible items, such as furniture, books, newspaper, and decorative objects, at least 3 feet away from the fireplace.
  • Equip the fireplace with a metal screen to catch burning embers or shifting logs.
  • Never use your fireplace for burning holiday wrappings or grilling food.
  • Keep small children and pets away from the fireplace.
  • Never leave a fire unattended.
  • Keep a fire extinguisher handy.
  • Make sure the fire is completely out before going to bed or leaving the house.


If you’re the victim of fire damage caused by an out-of-control fireplace or any other disaster in the greater Chicago area, call ServiceMaster Restoration By Simons immediately at 773-376-1110. Our

disaster restoration technicians

are standing by to help you get your life and your home back in order!

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Sam Simon

Sam Simon is the Co-Owner and Managing Director of ServiceMaster Restoration By Simons, a certified MBE/WBE disaster restoration and specialty cleaning firm proudly serving Cook, Lake, and DuPage Counties in Illinois. With over 30 years of experience in restoration project management, field operations, and emergency response, Sam plays a vital leadership role in overseeing service execution, technician development, reconstruction, and subcontractor coordination.

He holds the IICRC’s highest technical designation as a Master Fire & Water Restorer, a distinction achieved by fewer than 1% of professionals in the restoration industry. His technical scope includes water and flood damage restoration, fire and smoke recovery, mold remediation, and post-disaster reconstruction across both residential and commercial sectors.

Sam has demonstrated a long-standing commitment to helping communities in crisis. He has participated in large-scale disaster recovery efforts across the U.S., providing boots-on-the-ground leadership during Hurricanes Katrina, Sandy, and Harvey, as well as catastrophic floods, wildfires, and deep freeze events throughout Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Minnesota, Ohio, Texas, and beyond. His dedication to serving distressed families and businesses in the wake of national catastrophes reflects both his personal values and ServiceMaster’s mission of restoring peace of mind.

In 2019, Sam was selected for the HACIA Contractor Training Program, a competitive six-month construction management cohort offered by the Hispanic American Construction Industry Association. The program delivers intensive instruction in blueprint reading, estimating, project management, and construction law—skills that support the company’s continued growth in emergency build-back and general contracting services.

Before co-founding ServiceMaster Restoration By Simons, Sam built a successful creative career under the name Sam Zabadneh, contributing to notable film and television productions including Chicago Fire (2012), Juvies (2007), and Image Union (1978). His media and videography background continues to shape ServiceMaster’s marketing strategy, digital training resources, and brand storytelling.
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Sam is also the co-author of RESTORE: A Complete Guide to Protecting Your Home As Your Most Valuable Asset—a practical guidebook for homeowners navigating the challenges of water, fire, and mold damage.

Under the direction of majority owner and President & CEO Nasutsa Mabwa, and with Sam’s operational leadership, ServiceMaster Restoration By Simons has earned numerous regional and national accolades, including:

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