FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — Fayetteville firefighters are warning people against trying to thaw frozen pipes with torches after responding to at least six house fires this week during Arctic cold temperatures that have hit Arkansas.
The house fires have been directly related to people using torches or heat guns in an attempt to melt the ice in their home's frozen pipes.
Fayetteville Fire Department Captain Kevin Sbanotto, who has been on these calls, said the fires often turn into damage much more inconvenient than a frozen pipe.
“You have charring and flames inside your house … We have to put water on it first, and then once we have that water damage, we have to expose the burnt parts, so we have to cut your floors, cut your walls, cut into the side of your house, which causes more damage than just the frozen pipe itself,” Capt. Sbanotto said. "Frame restoration is gonna need to happen.”
If you have frozen pipes, Capt. Sbanotto said the best thing to do is call a plumber. And if you don't want to wait, he said to use nothing hotter than a blow dryer on your pipes.
“Don't use a heat gun, don't use a torch, nothing with open flame of that nature, because it will get into places that you don't expect, and you'll get into insulation, which is very flammable and will cause massive, massive damage.”
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