PAINESVILLE, Ohio — A late morning fire on Wednesday heavily damaged a historic landmark in Painesville, leaving 11 people looking for a new place to stay. Authorities believe the blaze started after someone used a torch to melt ice.
The historic house at the corner of Mentor Avenue and Jefferson Street had been converted into apartments, according to Painesville's fire chief.
He said everyone inside was able to get out of the house before firefighters arrived.
The chief said the call reporting a fire outside the home came in at 11 a.m.
"The officers arrived and saw the fire on the outside of the building extending up the side of the building," said Painesville Fire Chief Tom Hummel.
The fire's origin was an exterior wall on the east side of the structure, authorities said. The flames raced through the home's attic, devouring the roof as it grew to three alarms.
Along with flames, firefighters also battled frozen fire hydrants.
The chief said that forced firefighters to run hoses through nearby streets looking for additional sources of water, triggering road closures around the fire.
The Painesville City Fire Department cautions strongly against the use of any heating device to thaw ice other than specifically designed products for such purposes such as pipe heating tapes and gutter/roof tapes. During the winter months, especially when temperatures fall to near or below 0 degrees F, fire departments all over Ohio encounter fires caused by the improper use of torches to melt ice. We cannot stress strongly enough not to use torch to thaw frozen pipes or melt ice on or near structures," Hummel said Friday. "With the coming colder temperatures this weekend and into next week, we are cautioning residents to avoid this dangerous practice to help prevent more destructive and dangerous fires."
