Using Blowtorch to Melt Ice on Front Porch Starts House Fire

A man is lucky he was not seriously harmed after an "experiment" to get rid of pesky ice buildup nearly torched an entire home.

Kennewick firefighters were called to the structure at the West 24th Loop, located near Olympia Street Sunday around 11:30am.

The man there was trying to melt ice off the front porch using a propane weed burning torch. While it did rid the steps of some of the ice, it also triggered a blaze that resulted when a decorative bush next to the steps caught fire.

The blaze quickly ran up the wall (see the black marks) and damaged a bedroom exterior wall as well. KEPR-TV reports the man suffered some minor non-threatening burns, but refused medical assistance at the scene.

Perhaps one of the worst parts of this? Having to explain to the homeowner what happened. The man trying to burn the ice was RENTING the home.  Whoops!