Effort To Thaw Pipes Starts House Fire

A man trying to thaw frozen pipes with a propane torch started a fire in his duplex Monday afternoon.

No one was injured in the fire and damage to the duplex, 828 W. Maxwell, was limited to the ground-floor unit, said Battalion Chief Joe Stapleton.

Pat Dehan used a torch to thaw the pipes at about noon. He left the building and returned about two hours later to find smoke coming from the first-floor walls, Stapleton said.

Firefighters had to remove wall coverings from the bathroom and siding from the exterior of the duplex to get at the fire. The building was insured.

Stapleton warned people not to use open-flames to thaw frozen pipes and to have a working smoke detector in their homes.

Fires from people thawing pipes can smolder for hours before bursting into flame, Stapleton said.

, DataTimes