Overheated pipe causes apartment fire

7/15/2013

A fire at Tiffany Square Apartments, 19 Tiffany Square Dr., in southwest Toledo, tonight caused minor damage, city firefighters said.

Fire Captain Steven Lewis estimated structural and property damage to unit 204 from the fire reported at 7:18 p.m. at between $3,000 and $4,000. The tenant was not home and there were no injuries.

Captain Lewis said a maintenance employee was working on a copper plumbing pipe in the apartment when the pipe overheated. The maintenance worker walked away for a moment and when he came back, the pipe was on fire.

Jon Cole, 35, who lives in unit 203, said he heard the maintenance worker smash the glass of a fire extinguisher, and he called 911 when he smelled smoke.

“I was afraid it was going to spill into [unit 202], which has a child,” he said.

Cynthia Stiger, 39, was watching a movie with her 5-year-old son Jaylin in unit 202 when she started smelling smoke. A few minutes later, firefighters were in her apartment trying to get to the overheated pipe through her closet.

Twenty-five firefighters from seven engine companies responded.

“We got to it before it got too far,” Captain Lewis said.