top pan wife says caught fire why?

[huntingken111]

On overtime this week so have to leave house after collecting becuase I am third shifter. So to help me out wife agreed to keep fire going this week. I build my 3 x 10 arch this year to support my 3 x5 front english tin pan (with four long way compartments) and 3 x 5 english tin drop flue pan ( with one devider). I have burn offf about 700 gallons of sap with no trouble except front bottom of drop have a few leaks. The wife wanted to shut down tonight so when wood was almost burned out she opened the front door to let inside cool faster so sap would cool and she could drain the pans and go to bed. When she opened the door she then saw a yellow fire comming from the almost syrup in 2 front middle compartments of pan. She quick grabbed one of the five gallon pails of water I keep by for emergencies and dumped it on top of sap fire. Fire went out but I could not explain what caused this fire. She said it looked like the almost syrup was on fire and bright yellow. Any one able to explain this because I can't seems like some sort of gas ignited. I burn mostly pine.

[Cabin]

On overtime this week so have to leave house after collecting becuase I am third shifter. So to help me out wife agreed to keep fire going this week. I build my 3 x 10 arch this year to support my 3 x5 front english tin pan (with four long way compartments) and 3 x 5 english tin drop flue pan ( with one devider). I have burn offf about 700 gallons of sap with no trouble except front bottom of drop have a few leaks. The wife wanted to shut down tonight so when wood was almost burned out she opened the front door to let inside cool faster so sap would cool and she could drain the pans and go to bed. When she opened the door she then saw a yellow fire comming from the almost syrup in 2 front middle compartments of pan. She quick grabbed one of the five gallon pails of water I keep by for emergencies and dumped it on top of sap fire. Fire went out but I could not explain what caused this fire. She said it looked like the almost syrup was on fire and bright yellow. Any one able to explain this because I can't seems like some sort of gas ignited. I burn mostly pine.

Well not sure why it flared up but a yellow flame does indicate buring sugar.

[Burnt sap]

Sorry to hear this. I have burnt some sap hence my handle on here. Sounds strange but pine sap is very flammable and burns yellow as well, with black smoke. But should have stayed in the firebox unless door was open? Sounds like the pan went dry and caught fire?

[huntingken111]

just woke up (didn't want to look at pan and not be able to sleep) and went out to see if there was any damage. There are chunks of black like coal floating in pan and flame was intense enough to melt solder at top of pan. Not sure how she did it but somehow caught sugar on fire I am thinking . I did notice when I washed soot from pan before season started that it looked like front pan was three pans soldered together because they where split and almost looked like they were coming apart. I cleaned a bunch of black out of those slits. I am thinking it might have been little low in those compartment because putting level on front pans show out of leval and going to center of arch.

[eustis22]

What is a good stack temp for a half pint? I got nervous last night running 1100 degrees and closed down my draft until it was at about 800.