I would have someone look at it before next winter. By hot, do you mean warm, or hot hot?

This may surprise some people but if the surrounding area gets too warm, over time the wood can dry out and a simple thing like a nail overheating can cause the wood to ignite.

The one thing that comes to my alleged mind is the insert rated for a zero clearance fireplace like the Heatilator?

The heatilator is installed into brick like a regular fireplace and had a regular clay flue . But in the years since the house was built, the flue collapsed and we then decided to put in the stove with its own corrugated flue all the way to the top of the chimney. The thing that troubles me is the mason that built the fireplace and chimney had problems with other jobs he did ( obviously this came out years later) . Also, is there a way to keep the cold air from coming into the room from between the stove bottom and the hearth .
Salbwil

Go to hearth.com

Those guys are experts in all things fireplace/stove related. Ask over there and you'll get the absolute facts.

Here is a link that might be useful: Hearth.com