Chimney Rebuilds in Altadena, CA

What an inspector checks during chimney rebuilds in Altadena

The Eaton Fire in January 2025 changed Altadena, and many families here are rebuilding or moving back in. If your home came through the fire, smoke and heat may have stressed the flue even where the brick looks fine from the yard. We run a camera through the liner before anyone lights a fire, check the cap and crown, and write down what is safe to use now and what should wait. For a rebuilt home, we check that the new fireplace and its venting match what the plans call for.

Altadena backs right onto the San Gabriel Mountains, so ember safety comes first here. We look for a spark arrestor with no gaps or rust, leaves and needles on the roof near the chimney, and branches hanging over the cap. Homes this close to the mountains sit in a very high fire hazard zone, so we treat a worn screen as a safety item, not a cosmetic one.