Hot wall above gas fire

[msemma]

The wall above my gas fire is getting really hot - I've had the fire serviced about a year ago and the flue (precast, our house was built mid-70's) was ok. Sometimes I get a bit of a flicker in the flame. (flame is blue at the base but as it rises it starts to flicker). The fire is a 4 radiant type fire, made by cannon. I think that it is making the wall of my next door neighbour's house really hot too.

[VonnieII]

I had this problem in my last house. Because the fire was directly against the wall and there was nothing else to conduct the heat, the wall got very warm and the wallpaper dried out so much I had to replace it every couple of years. Most fire surrounds have a back plate in either metal or stone to absorb some of the heat.
If the flame is blue at the base your fire should be okay, especially if you have it serviced regularly.