The setting

Illustrative example, not a real job or household. A 1920s Tudor in West Highland has a wood-burning fireplace that is rarely used and a chimney that was never capped. In April, the living room starts to smell rotten, strongest at the fireplace, and the smell gets worse on sunny afternoons when the chimney warms.

What the household did

Illustrative example. Not a real job or customer.

The family suspects an animal in the chimney after hearing scratching there a couple of weeks earlier.

  1. They close the damper and the glass doors and keep the room ventilated.
  2. They resist the advice of a friend to light a fire to burn out the smell.
  3. A chimney sweep inspects from the roof and finds a dead squirrel on the smoke shelf above the damper.
  4. The sweep removes it and some old nesting material, cleans the smoke shelf, and installs a stainless cap with mesh.
  5. The family wipes the firebox and leaves the doors open to air it for a day.

The smell cleared within a day or two, and the new cap prevents the next squirrel or bird from falling in.

Lighting a fire versus calling a sweep

Lighting a fire

  • Does not burn the carcass cleanly
  • Adds burning-flesh and smoke odor
  • Can ignite dry nesting material
  • Can trap or injure a live animal

Calling a sweep

  • Removes the animal and nest
  • Checks the flue and damper for damage
  • Caps the chimney to prevent repeats
  • No added smoke or fire risk

Why the smell peaked in the afternoon

Sun on a brick chimney warms the flue, and warm air rises. On sunny afternoons the chimney drew air up past the carcass and, when the damper did not seal perfectly, pushed odor back into the room as the air shifted. Closing the glass doors as well as the damper cut the smell indoors while the household waited for the sweep.

The scratching heard two weeks earlier was the best clue: it placed the animal in the chimney and dated the event, which made the decay smell easy to explain.

Common questions

How do I know whether the animal is still alive?

Scratching, chirping or movement means it is alive. Keep the damper closed and call a wildlife professional or sweep, who can remove it without harming it.

Should the chimney be swept at the same time?

If it has not been inspected in a while, combining the removal with a sweep and inspection is efficient.

General information for Sloan's Lake, not a quote or professional advice. In an emergency, call 911.