December 24, 2008 | David Wallace | Comments 0
Don’t try this at home – that is use a blowtorch to melt snow, especially when there is a wood home nearby. A New Bedford, Mass. failed to heed this advice when he used a blowtorch to melt ice on his back porch. He ended up setting his house on fire, causing up to $30,000 in damage.
Fire Capt. Scott Kruger tells The Standard-Times of New Bedford the man was using a torch hooked up to a 20-pound propane cylinder. He got too close to the building’s wood frame and ignited the vinyl siding. The fire quickly spread into the building’s second- and third-floor apartments.
It took 25 firefighters to subdue the blaze that damaged bedrooms in the upstairs units, and caused damage to the structure and wiring.
Fortunately nobody was hurt in the blaze, with the exception of the man’s poor ego.
