VICKSBURG/ BATTLE CREEK (WKZO AM/FM) — Firefighters are telling folks to seek professional help if they have frozen pipes because do-it- yourself pipe thawing can be a fire hazard.
A pair of small fires had to be doused at a home in Vicksburg and another on 22nd street in Battle Creek because of pipe thawing that got out of hand.
The experts say using a blow torch or some other device with an open flame is asking for trouble.
They say the damage to the home on U Ave. in Vicksburg was confined to a crawlspace and not considered major, but the estimate of damage to the home on 22nd Street was $25,000.
They suggest you buy a pipe warming device that can be found at most hardware stores, or run a thin trickle of water to keep plumbing on outside walls from freezing.
The residents at the Vicksburg home were using a heater in an unheated crawl space and they think that was the cause of the smoky fire.
There were no injuries in either fire, and Battle Creek firefighters were able to rescue a dog and a cat from the Battle Creek home.
