Yup, have to agree with you. I grew up in a house where the chimney regularly went on fire (as did the neighbours). It seemed to be the local way to clean it.
I seem to remember being told to keep the doors closed (to cut down on the draught )and to damp the fire down with sand/soil/ashes an then wait for it to go out.
Not in Dublin you wont be. There's no charge for domestic callouts.
It depends really on how bad the chimney fire is. If the room starts filling with smoke you need to start thinkin about the smell on your furniture and stuff, plus if the fire gets too hot it can crack the chimney breast, again causing smoke damage..
Never had the room fill with smoke, however , have to agree with dewdrop, the noise is a bit frightening.
I was wondering that if the firebrigade were called would they use water to put it out ? I thing that this would make more of a mess than a benifit in calling them out.