Thawing pipes may have started blaze

BUFFALO, N.Y. (WIVB) - Buffalo's bravest took on the challenge of a two-alarm house fire in the cold Thursday night.

Firefighters tell News 4 the fire started around 5 o'clock in the basement of the house on 78 Reservation in Black Rock and it partially burned another house nearby. Crews had trouble getting in and taking control over the fire, which they say may have been started as someone tried to thaw frozen pipes.

RELATED | News 4 did a story Wednesday on the danger of thawing out pipes on your own after a home in Lockport was a total loss because the homeowner was trying to use a propane torch to thaw his pipes

Buffalo Fire Division Chief Don McFeely said, "A lot of the pipes are exposed. They're under the houses and they're not heated and what happens is they freeze and they try to thaw them out with propane heaters or something like that, and obviously it's in the crawl space, and in areas that are confined to get to so, they start a little fire and don't realize it, and before you know it, it's well involved."

Everyone inside the home escaped the flames. Damages are pegged at over $100,000. A firefighter was hurt after falling down the stairs and taken to the hospital.