Chimney Animal Removal in McMinnville, Oregon | Get the Animals Out and Keep Them Out

An open chimney flue is a warm, sheltered vertical cavity. From an animal’s perspective, it’s an ideal nesting site: protected from rain, wind, and predators, with a stable temperature year-round. Birds, raccoons, squirrels, bats, and even the occasional opossum find their way into uncapped chimneys across the McMinnville area, and once they’re in, getting them out safely requires knowing what you’re dealing with.

The most common chimney visitors in Yamhill County are birds. Starlings and sparrows build nests of twigs, grass, and debris on top of the damper or on the smoke shelf inside the smoke chamber. The nests block airflow and create a fire hazard when dry material sits above a heat source. Barn swallows sometimes build mud nests on the interior walls of the flue. And from mid-April through mid-September, Vaux’s Swifts roost in chimneys throughout the Pacific Northwest. Vaux’s Swifts are federally protected under the Migratory Bird Treaty Act, which means they and their nests cannot be disturbed while they’re actively nesting. If swifts are in your chimney, we can’t remove them until they leave on their own in the fall. We’ll confirm the species and advise you on timing.

Raccoons are the second most common chimney animal in this area. A female raccoon will climb into an uncapped chimney in spring to give birth and raise her kits in the sheltered space above the damper. Raccoon removal requires care because a mother raccoon in a confined space with young is defensive. We use humane removal methods that get the animals out without injury and without driving them deeper into the chimney structure.

Squirrels enter chimneys and sometimes fall down into the firebox when they can’t climb back up the smooth flue liner. A squirrel trapped in a firebox is panicked and will bolt into the house the moment the fireplace doors or screen are opened. If you hear scratching from inside the firebox and suspect a trapped animal, close the glass doors or hold a screen firmly in place, close the room off from the rest of the house, and call us. We’ll extract the animal safely.

Our removal process starts with identifying what’s in the chimney and where it is. We inspect from the top and from the firebox to determine the species, the location in the flue, and whether young are present. We remove the animal and all nesting material, then clean the flue of droppings, feathers, fur, and debris. Chimneys that have housed animals need sanitizing because animal waste carries bacteria, parasites, and fungal spores (including histoplasmosis from bird droppings) that can enter the home through the damper opening.

After the flue is clean and sanitized, we install a chimney cap with mesh screening sized to prevent reentry. The cap keeps animals, rain, and debris out of the flue while still allowing smoke and gases to exit freely. This is the fix that prevents the problem from happening again next spring. A chimney without a cap is an open invitation.

For homes on the edges of McMinnville and in the rural areas between Sheridan, Carlton, and Amity, animal intrusion is especially common. Properties near wooded areas, creeks, and agricultural land have higher wildlife activity, and uncapped chimneys on those properties get visited regularly.

When to call for chimney animal removal

Any scratching, chirping, fluttering, or thumping sounds from inside the chimney or firebox mean something is in there. Do not light a fire to try to smoke the animal out. This can kill the animal inside the chimney, fill your home with smoke if the flue is blocked by a nest, and create a fire risk if dry nesting material ignites.

A strong, unpleasant smell from the fireplace area, especially during warm weather, may indicate a dead animal in the flue. Birds and squirrels that enter and can’t climb out sometimes die in the chimney. The smell worsens as temperatures rise and can persist for weeks. Removal of the carcass and cleaning of the affected flue section resolves the issue.

If you notice flies or insects near the fireplace during a season when the fireplace isn’t in use, that’s another indicator of a dead animal or decomposing nesting material inside the chimney. Don’t open the damper to investigate. Call +1 503-550-4027 and let us handle it.