Fire crews save Oak St. home
—Photo by MARY MALONE A small fire in an Oak Street home caused by thawing frozen water pipes was extinguished quickly by fire crews Monday afternoon.
SANDPOINT — A structure fire in an Oak Street home Monday was extinguished in about 10 minutes due to a quick response by local fire agencies.
"The damage is probably about $4,000 or $5,000, but we saved $130,000 by the quick response of the firefighters," said Selkirk Fire, Rescue and EMS Chief Ron Stocking.
Assistant Fire Chief Dale Hopkins said Selkirk Fire, Rescue and EMS units from Sandpoint, Sagle and Westside fire departments responded to the report of a structure fire at 1:24 p.m. He said dispatch reports indicate the fire started when the occupant of the home attempted to thaw out frozen water pipes. The fire climbed the west wall of the home before it was extinguished by fire personnel.
"We want to remind people, if they do have frozen pipes, to seek professional assistance if they are not real clear on what to do," Stocking said. "This definitely could have been avoided if he would have had a professional thawing the pipe."