Melted Pipe Puts Out Fire

A house that caught fire after a lightning strike on July 6 was saved by something even less likely. The blaze melted through a water line and released enough water to extinguish the flames, Chief Deputy Fire Marshal Randall Lee said.

The fire began at about 5:48 p.m. in the crawlspace of a house on River’s Edge Road when lightning struck it. But by the time firefighters from Indian River, Millsboro and Lewes arrived, all that was left was smoke — the water main had completely quenched the fire.

“All the firefighters had to do was check for any hot spots that were still there,” Lee said. “The fire was gone.”

The flames and smoke caused just $3,000 in damage, according to the fire marshal’s office – a tiny amount compared to most home fires.

“We’ve had that happen a couple of times,” Lee said. “Every so often, there’s a fire in the right spot, close enough to a pipe, and that sorts it out.”

from the Sussex Countian