Those with flue liners for woodburners should employ a chimney sweep who is not only qualified to clean it but is also able to inspect them thoroughly for any damage.
Rosie Romero, writing for azcentral.com, said that those with wood-burning fires must ensure that the chimney is inspected every couple of years at least.
She stated that an experienced chimney professional can identify any serious problems and advise people of the steps they need to take to have it rectified and made safe once again.
"During the inspection, the chimney professional will look for cracks in the masonry, damaged dampers, worn-out chimney caps and other problems and fix them," Ms Romero added.
One of the problems those with masonry chimneys often have to deal with is micro fracturing of the bricks from the inside.
Howard Rowell, from the Royal Chimney Service in Milwaukee, told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel that voids in the system must be addressed when this occurs, which can involve having to rebuild the whole thing.