That was Odd

I have a healthy respect for gas.  I cook by gas (or I would if I could get the thing to work properly) but I'm getting that replaced by an electric cooker) and we have gas central heating and a gas fire in the living room. 

The fire in the living room is a few years old.  The original one that came with the house was at least twenty years old when we replaced it, I think around 2013.  This one has been serviced, though a while ago, and it's a lovely, basic model that does a very good job.  We rarely have it on very high as the room warms up quite quickly and we have blankets to snuggle under.  Last night DH and I were both feeling cold 'in ourselves' so we put the fire up to around half heat - the highest we usually have it. 

I thought I heard a clunk of metal but DH thought it was soot falling down the chimney.  We weren't paying full attention.  Then the fire turned itself off.  We paid attention then!  As far as we can tell there is no gas leaking, we have a CO2 detector next to the fire that wasn't triggered and when DH tried to turn it back on later, the fire worked fine. 

Tomorrow I will be calling around to find someone to give the fire a service.  I am hoping that it is something easy.  If it is something that has blocked the chimney then we have two issues.  The first issue is that the chimney is on a wall that connects to the house next door - owned by a landlord who is not proactive about repairs.  The second issue is that this is the chimney that has had bees in it.  If I have it right, the actual bees nest is in the flue next to it, but any repair man could find it a literally sticky situation.