Buffalo firefighters once again were called out Friday to battle a blaze ignited when someone used the wrong kind of heat to thaw frozen water pipes.
A fire in a two-story wood-frame home at 215 Scoville Ave., in the Clinton Bailey neighborhood, was extinguished by members of the 6th Battalion 3rd Platoon. One firefighter suffered a minor injury, but all occupants of the home were reported safe.
It was the latest in a series of home fires this winter caused by homeowners and tenants trying to thaw frozen pipes. In this case, a torpedo heater was being used. Safety guidelines for the heaters – mostly used outdoors or in large, open areas – advise users to keep them at least 3 feet from anything flammable, and experts warn never to use anything with an open flame, such as the heater or a blowtorch, to thaw pipes.
Damage was estimated at $55,000 for the structure and $30,000 for the contents.
A few blocks north, members of Battalion 3 used foam and chemical extinguishers to put out a fire in a 500-gallon oil tank at the former American Axle paint facility at 1157 East Delavan Ave. There were no injuries reported.
email: citydesk@buffnews.com
A fire in a two-story wood-frame home at 215 Scoville Ave., in the Clinton Bailey neighborhood, was extinguished by members of the 6th Battalion 3rd Platoon. One firefighter suffered a minor injury, but all occupants of the home were reported safe.
It was the latest in a series of home fires this winter caused by homeowners and tenants trying to thaw frozen pipes. In this case, a torpedo heater was being used. Safety guidelines for the heaters – mostly used outdoors or in large, open areas – advise users to keep them at least 3 feet from anything flammable, and experts warn never to use anything with an open flame, such as the heater or a blowtorch, to thaw pipes.
Damage was estimated at $55,000 for the structure and $30,000 for the contents.
A few blocks north, members of Battalion 3 used foam and chemical extinguishers to put out a fire in a 500-gallon oil tank at the former American Axle paint facility at 1157 East Delavan Ave. There were no injuries reported.
email: citydesk@buffnews.com