By Rick Wills
The Pittsburgh Tribune Review
PITTSBURGH — A North Side man set fire to his home Saturday when he was using a blowtorch to remove snow from an outdoor awning.
The fire broke out at about 2:30 p.m. at a frame home in the 2100 block of Brighton Road.
The home’s occupant was using the torch to remove a large amount so snow that had accumulated on an aluminum awning over his back door.
“He was using the torch, and the side of the house caught fire. Usually, you have to be very, very careful about anything like this. He called 911 very quickly, which prevented this from being worse,” said Doug Praskovich, Pittsburgh Fire District 1 battalion chief.
Damage to the house was minimal and limited to the home’s exterior, Praskovich said.
“There’s not even real smoke damage inside,” he said.
More than two feet of snowfall have left the many of the area’s homes covered with deep snow and large icicles.
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