How Does Wood Burn in my Fireplace?

People may never ask it but we all wonder. That is why we stare into campfires. We even fall into a trance-like state gazing at the dancing flames. How does wood burn in my fireplace? Will that edge of the log burn before that twig on the side? What is the meaning of life anyways? Chemists can describe the precise chemical equation of how carbon-based wood oxidizes into water and minerals while releasing light and heat… but there is still a magical effect that will never pass away. We will never grow tired of looking into the fire. The romance of the fireplace will endure forever. It is often around the family fireplace that we have the most significant conversations in the human experience. The young man asks the father of the bride for her hand in marriage. Fathers read stories to their children. Lovers stay up late at night talking and throwing sticks on the fire. At Midtown Chimney Sweeps we get that. We want you to enjoy the fire. So with that, lets us lay the foundation in the next two paragraphs for understanding the three stages of combustion to get a handle on this intriguing and dramatic oxidation process.