Perhaps the most important benefit of hiring a chimney sweep is to prevent chimney fires. When soot and creosote build up inside your chimney, your home is at risk for a fire. Even if you haven't used your chimney in a long time so there is no buildup present, a bird could have built a nest inside of it, which can easily catch on fire. Either issue is very hard to detect without an extendable camera, but can lead to severe damage. A fire inside of your chimney can cause your entire chimney to collapse onto your roof, which is a very costly problem. Even more concerning is the difficulty of putting a chimney fire out. This problem must be avoided at all costs for the safety of your home or commercial building and their occupants. Hiring a chimney sweep to inspect and clean your chimney may be costly upfront, but the damage it can save you from is well worth it.