Do you have a damper you can close? Once you are certain the fire is out, if you close the damper it will prevent a down draft of cold air that might be fanning the scent into the room. What kind of firewood are you burning?

You can also get fitted glass doors that will help keep the smell from coming into the room.

Yes, the damper was open during the fire and once it was out we closed it and has been closed. We smell it when glass doors are closed, but definitely smell it a lot stronger when we open them. Could the doors be the issue?

We are burning seasoned Oakwood.

I've never burned oak, but think it burns hot and clean from what I know. Is it a new build or new to you used home? I wonder if someone painted the inside of the firebox with something that's now being affected by the fire? I'd clean all the wood ash out and see if that makes a difference - maybe you can tell then if it's the actual box that is smelling or the wood remnants/ash.

Also if it's a new build, or newish home, sometimes they are so air tight that when the furnace kicks in, it sucks air through places of least resistance, the fireplace being one of them. If you're not in frigid country, you could try cracking a window and see if that helps. If that could be the case, I'd check with your hvac folks and see if there is a remedy.

It is new to us used home. We did clean out all the ash and remnants of wood, no help on the small. We are at a loss of what to do next.

My experience is that wood burning fireplaces cause the room to smell like burning wood even after the ashes have been cleaned out.

We built a home that had a fireplace and no glass doors. No wood smell at all, except once in a while if the fire wasn't roaring and the wind was blowing, it could send some smoke smell into the room.

Maybe post here. I've posted a few times regarding my wood stove and there are some very knowledgeable and helpful people. I suspect the same would be true regarding fireplace questions. I hope you find the cause.

Hearth.com

Ok, I appreciate it. Thanks!

Do you need your chimney cleaned, perhaps? If you had a problem keeping the fire going it seems to point to a problem with the fire getting oxygen or the wood not being ready to burn. If it were my house I would get the chimney inspected. It could be dangerous.

Also, you are certain that your wood is ready to be burned? Oak that is not cured well can be nasty smelling, especially red oak.

Whoops. I see that you DID address the chimney. Maybe the wood is too wet . Maybe.

We did have it thoroughly inspected and was told it was ready to go. I even called them back to verify after this issue.

I'm as certain as I can be about the wood. I was told it was seasoned oak firewood

Would lighting another fire in it help to get the smell out or would that make it worse?

We had a fireplace with similar issues once. Try opening a window a little bit, in the same or an adjacent room. Could be your chimney isn’t tall enough and it’s not venting correctly. By opening a window a little bit it will let it draft better if that is the case.

Also, does it have a clean out in the floor of the fireplace? Outside air could be coming up and thru it, my daughters does that on a windy day

the embers can continue to burn days after the fire looks to be out. move the embers/ash around to be sure. we burn oak as well. if the heater is on post fire, the heater will create a negative suction air flow - it's a balance. increasing the chimney hood can allow for a stronger draft up.

Some fire places just don't draw well....usually due to chimney height and surrounding structures. Instead of air going up the chimney it comes down....and your fire doesn't burn well at all. The fact that you had trouble keeping a fire lit speaks to that. Either call it a decorative fireplace...or find a fireplace builder/expert to address the problem....likely won't be a cheap fix.