We love our fireplace, but our neighbor keeps saying she can’t breathe
DEAR ABBY:
My husband and I live in a condominium that has a working fireplace. During the cooler months, we regularly burn wood fires — it’s how we keep our living room and TV area warm and cozy.
Recently, one of our neighbors began complaining that the smoke from our fireplace is making it hard for her to breathe. She has pulmonary issues and says she can’t even open her windows for fresh air when we have a fire going. She’s asked us to stop using it entirely and warned that if we don’t, it could damage our friendship.
We’ve had the fireplace professionally cleaned and even installed a larger flue on the chimney to help reduce smoke, but it hasn’t made a difference. None of our other neighbors have complained.
What should we say to her — and do we have any real obligation to stop using our fireplace?
— TWO SENIOR FIREPLACE LOVERS
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