There is an area here around UNM (University of New Mexico) that is very popular to live in. It is chic, cool, hip, sweet... to live there. Problem is the houses in that area are over 80 years old. Not that it is a bad thing to own a 80 year old house, you just better know what you're getting into before you pull the trigger on that sale!
The houses in this area have a lot of character. Lots of them are Adobe Pueblo style homes. Most of them have flat roofs, or low pitched roofs. But that wasn't the problem here. This 
house had a very sweet looking fireplace in the living room. A closer look revealed it wasn't all that sweet! Starting on the roof the first thing I noticed was the poor patch job around the chimney (we'll save that for another time), then looking up it is obvious that there was no rain cap over the flue. Also, that baby needs a spark arrestor because there are lots of trees and homes in close proximity to this house. As dry as it is here (but not lately) you need a spark arrestor!
Then down in the living room there she is... beautiful fireplace! Opening the screen you can see the result of not having a rain cap on the top of the chimney. The firebricks in the firebox were all cracked and separated. When 
moisture gets into or behind the firebrick it can cause efflorescence, a sign of moisture intrusion. And although efflorescence is a cosmetic issue, it is a sign there could be a moisture problem... and we know this one has one! Brick is a porous material and needs to be protected in this application. This fireplace is not safe to use in it's present condition, but it looks pretty!
So, the firebox likely will need to be pretty much rebuilt, the chimney needs a rain cap and spark arrestor installed on top. The flue still looked in decent condition and the damper was working. The chimney will need to be swept as well. Time for an 80 year tune up!!
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