Recent Burgoynes’ thatch fire investigations, in dwellings and public houses, have been reviewed for the period September 2024 to May 2025. 

Out of the 11 fires, one resulted from hot work and ten were chimney-related, with all having solid fuel stoves with chimney liners, burning wood.  Seven of the properties had chimneys less than the 1.8m minimum height above the thatch specified in Approved Document  J of the Building Regulations and six were closer to or less than 1m high. In seven instances an hour or less had passed between the stove being lit or re-fuelled and the fire being discovered.  Burgoynes’ investigators attributed all ten chimney-related fires to ejected embers, with the possibility that one of these had resulted from a chimney fire.   Therefore the circumstances and causes of these fires are consistent with Burgoynes’ previous experience of thatch fires and the research carried out by the Loss Prevention Council for NFUM Insurance and English Heritage.  That is that most are caused by embers ejected from the chimney during the use of solid fuel stoves burning wood.    

To view the original detailed article on Fires in Thatched Buildings, please click the link to view.

By Keith Benjamin and Mark Slater