Saturday, February 07, 2009

Connection Between Fires & Frozen Pipes

Stories illustrating the connection between fires and water pipes freezing up from the extreme cold weather are coming in from around the country. Here are a few:

  • Wheeling, West Virginia: Wheeling firefighters said a man trying to fix frozen pipes ended up setting his home on fire Monday morning in Elm Grove. Fire Chief Larry Helms said the homeowner accidentally caught the wall on fire, which then spread the upper floor of the home. No one was hurt and the homeowner did make it out OK. Frozen Pipe Fix To Blame For Wheeling Fire.

  • Winona, Minnesota: A West End home was damaged by fire Thursday evening after plumbers used a torch to thaw pipes earlier in the day. Officials suspect the torch started the fire. No one was injured. Fire crews tore into the exterior wall with chainsaws and axes, searching for flames as smoke seeped from the siding. Frozen pipes lead to fire.

  • New Brunswick, New Jersey: A small afternoon fire between the basement and first floor of a city home was quickly extinguished by responding officials a couple of weeks ago. Reportedly, the fire was started when the homeowner attempted to defrost a frozen water pipe on an exterior wall with a heat gun. When the copper piping got hot, some of the wood framing around it caught on fire. Official: New Brunswick homeowner caused fire attempting to fix frozen pipe.

  • Kingsley, Pennsylvania: A recent fire that destroyed a house on Main Avenue was caused by attempts to thaw frozen water pipes, according to Red Cross officials at the scene. Frozen-pipe repair leads to house fire.

  • Oakwood, Illinois: The family of a local member of the military suffered a blow Saturday when its house burned to the ground. The house is considered a total loss. Fire Chief Tony Frye said the fire was caused by a forced air heater placed in the crawl space underneath the house to warm frozen pipes. He said it’s unknown what was ignited by the heater, although there was some straw in the crawlspace of the home. He said a door left open combined with a hole in the floor of the house from repairs helped the flames spread quickly through the building. “I can’t believe it’s all gone” (Soldier's house a total loss).

  • Columbia, Missouri: A malfunctioning heat tape meant to keep pipes from freezing likely caused a trailer fire, according to a news release from the Columbia Fire Department. Investigators said either the heat tape placed on a pipe near the home’s water heater or its extension cord ignited the fire that caused an estimated $50,000 in damages. Batallion Chief Steven Sapp said heating tape is like an electrical blanket for pipes. It is supposed to shut itself off after reaching a certain temperature, but if not installed properly, it can get too hot. Trailer fire caused by electrical malfunction, fire officials say.

  • Livonia, Michigan: Livonia fire officials are warning the public about cold weather-related fires after battling six structural fires this week, most of which were caused by people trying to stay warm. One fire started when a resident used a blow torch to heat a frozen pipe. Livonia firefighters battle 6 blazes in 5 days.

  • Richmond, Indiana: Preparation is the best way to keep water pipes from freezing when temperatures plunge. But, when they do, open flames are certain no-nos in thawing them: "It sure isn't a blow torch," said Bobby Farris, deputy chief of fire prevention for the Richmond Fire Department. Flames of any kind carry a risk of engulfing a home in minutes -- or even hours later. "You're taking that chance," Farris said. "You might think you have it out, but it could be sitting there smoldering." That's apparently what happened recently at a home being renovated. A fire there was extinguished within minutes after firefighters arrived. It caused about $7,500 in damages. No one was injured. A worker had been trying to thaw pipes with a torch earlier in the day and the radiant heat caught material inside the wall on fire, said Battalion Chief Jerry Purcell. Thaw pipes with care.

  • Farmington, Connecticut: A heating element installed to keep pipes from freezing may have been the cause of a morning fire on East Shore Boulevard. Reportedly, fire officials believe the fire resulted from efforts to keep water pipes from freezing, but the Fire Marshal’s Office is investigating the cause. Fire possibly caused by pipe-heating apparatus.

  • Kittitas County, Washington: According to Kittitas Valley Fire and Rescue Deputy Fire Chief Rich Elliott, there have been about six structure fires since winter started. There has been one reported fire caused by improper thawing of a pipe. Fire safety tips for local residents in winter weather.

  • Murfreesboro, Tennessee: Don’t use open flame butane torches to thaw frozen water pipes. That’s the message from Assistant Fire Marshal Carl Peas of Murfreesboro Fire Department. When Friday’s temperatures dipped to single digits, maintenance workers using butane torches to thaw frozen water pipes at Chelsea Place apartments, the fire department reported. The flames caused a fire resulting in $50,000 damage to four apartments on Bradyville Pike. Also, a resident used a butane torch to thaw pipes at his home. The flame burned insulation and dryer lint under his home. “Never use open flames” to thaw frozen water pipes, Peas said. An open flame used on copper pipes could catch a structure on fire. “Once it gets into the wall, you can’t see it. The fire can run up the wall to the attic.” Butane torch blamed in Chelsea Place fire.

  • Madison, Wisconsin: On Jan. 15, a maintenance worker using a torch to thaw frozen pipes ignited insulation in a wall near the pipes, with the subsequent fire causing $50,000 in damages. Torches blamed in 2 structure fires.

  • Johnstown, Pennsylvania: A fire marshal determined that the cause of a recent home fire was a space heater. “The heater was used to thaw frozen pipes,” Johnstown fire Chief Tony Kovacic said. “Either the space heater lit materials it was too close to or the space heater had some sort of failure.“Obviously, we’re going to have a lot of pipe issues in the cold weather,” Kovacic said. “Be cautious when you try to thaw (frozen pipes).” City firefighters battle Prospect blaze.

  • Petrolia, Ontario: A tenant thawing frozen water pipes with a gas heater in a crawl space was the source of a house fire that caused $130,000 damage to a Petrolia home, the deputy fire chief says. Don Harding, of the Petrolia and North Enniskillen Fire Department, said when he arrived at the home, flames were "shooting out the crawl space" from exposed floor joists that has caught fire. The fire went up the east wall and reached the roof before it was contained. Harding said there was no evidence of pipe wrapping or heater/tracer wire to keep pipes unfrozen at the house. Gas heater caused blaze (DAMAGES ESTIMATED AT MORE THAN $130,000).

Go here for links to other recent stories on frozen pipe problems.

For lenders, mortgage loan servicers and other property owners and managers looking for tips on dealing with frozen pipes, see:

posted by Home Equity Theft Reporter at 4:00 AM