Already 62 dead at house fires this year: what are the obligations when you place a wood or pellet stove?
This year will be one of the deadliest years when it comes to house fires in our country. It’s a direct result of the fact that people, due to the energy crisis, are heating more with alternatives, such as wood or even petroleum stoves. But what are the dangers? And do you need to let your insurance know? Inderpender.be advises.
Does anything change with your fire insurance when you install a pellet or wood stove in your house or apartment. … A fire or house insurance should cover any damage caused by fire and smoke.
With an added home contents insurance you will also insure your home contents and personal items in the home.
…
Cleaning your chimney obliged?
Cleaning your chimney is only a legal obligation when you have a central heating system, whether you are the owner or tenant of the home.
If you only use wood, then you are advised to swipe your chimney twice a year. Who heats with wood is at a greater risk of a chimney fire than someone who heats with gas. Wood causes more soot deposits in the flue. Precisely those soot deposits can cause the inside of your chimney to catch fire.
Are you not an owner but a tenant? Even then you yourself are responsible for the annual upkeep. Unless stated differently in your lease agreement, you need to have an inspection carried out yourself.
What are the consequences for your insurance when you don’t have your chimney checked out?
You risk serious problems when something goes wrong. If you don’t have a certificate and there is a fire in the house, your insurance company will refuse to pay out the insured amount. Even as a tenant you’re at the same risk. That’s exactly why you are obliged to keep a copy of the cleaning and combustion certificate that the technician delivers to the tenant.
(This article is offered to you by our partner Inderpender.be. Inderpender.be is an independent insurance broker who helps you to compare and chose an insurance.)
SOURCE: Independer.be. “Al 62 Doden Bij Woningbranden Dit Jaar: Wat Zijn Je Verplichtingen Als Je Een Hout- of Pelletkachel Plaatst?” DPG Media Privacy Gate, www.hln.be/geld/al-62-doden-bij-woningbranden-dit-jaar-wat-zijn-je-verplichtingen-als-je-een-hout-of-pelletkachel-plaatst~a6801f66/. Accessed 22 Oct. 2023.
ANALYSIS:
The misleading information in this article starts right from the beginning, with the title. The title suggests that wood and pellet stoves are the cause of increasing house fires. The introduction proceeds to directly name wood and petroleum stoves as the cause of these increasing house fires. The only information that was verifiable was that chimneys do need to be cleaned regularly.
You will also notice that the article is sponsored by “independer.be”. However, they simply ‘advises’. This advice, however, is misleading.
According to many different sources, including another article by the same newspaper, other causes are to blame for the increase in house fires. According to VRT [1], house fires have different causes, such as missing smoke detectors, people doing odd jobs around the house themselves, and the increase of devices charged with batteries.
Het Nieuwsblad [3] does state that petroleum stoves can cause house fires, but only when not properly installed.
Another article by HLN [2] states different tips to prevent a house fire, and none of these tips are about wood, pellet, or petroleum stoves.
The website of the Belgian federal government [4] also states many tips to prevent a house fire, including cleaning the chimney once a year.
When reading sponsored content, we must always remember that these people have a goal in mind, and that goal is usually monetary gain. This article uses partially correct information but twists it to their advantage.
- [1] Van de Velde, Peggy. “Dubbel Zoveel Woningbranden in Oost-Vlaanderen OP 4 Jaar Tijd.” Vrtnws.Be, VRT NWS: nieuws, 4 May 2021, www.vrt.be/vrtnws/nl/2021/05/04/in-4-jaar-tijd-dubbel-zoveel-woningbranden-in-oost-vlaanderen/.
- [2] “Woningbanden Voorkomen? Lees de Tips van Een Brandweercommandant.” DPG Media Privacy Gate, www.hln.be/woon/woningbrand-voorkomen-lees-de-tips-van-een-brandweercommandant~a732f3a1/. Accessed 28 Oct. 2023.
- [3] Goeman, Thierry. “2022 Is Een van de Dodelijkste Jaren Qua Woningbranden: ‘Dat Soort Kachels Is Levensgevaarlijk.’” Het Nieuwsblad, nieuwsblad.be, 5 Dec. 2022, www.nieuwsblad.be/cnt/dmf20221205_95402619.
- [4] “Voorzorgsmaatregelen Om Brand Te Voorkomen.” Voorzorgsmaatregelen Om Brand Te Voorkomen | Belgium.Be, www.belgium.be/nl/huisvesting/huisvestingsproblemen/brand/voorzorgsmaatregelen. Accessed 28 Oct. 2023.
about the source:
Het Laatste Nieuws, or HLN for short, can be translated as “the latest news”. HLN is a sensation-oriented, popular-populist newspaper with special attention to the people behind the news. The newspaper has regional, national, and international news and a dedicated sports section. The newspaper is both in print and online. In print, the news is available every day of the workweek and on Saturday. The newspaper focuses on quantity rather than quality, and many articles will not go in depth on many subjects. The paper was originally founded as a Flemish-liberal daily newspaper but is currently part of the larger media group DPG Media, which is also active in television, radio, magazines, online services, and video on demand. This is both in Flanders and Wallonia but also in the Netherlands.
