Salt, Shovel . . . Blowtorch: Massachusetts Man Used Blowtorch for Ice Removal and Burns Home

Twenty-five firefighters were needed this week to put out a fire in New Bedford, Massachusetts after the home owner, Vasco Silva, attached a blowtorch to a 20-pound propane cylinder and used it as a snow and ice remover.

The fire did considerable damage to three-story home after the man ignited the vinyl siding. There will be no criminal charges (presumably because the lifetime of ribbing is worse than any jail stint).

Silva was concerned that the bricks on his walk might break from the salt so he pulled out that handy snow removal device: the blow torch.

The irresistible appeal of the blowtorch makes it a regular element to holiday fires. Just last year, a fire destroyed much of an Ottawa house after a blowtorch was used to warm frozen pipes.

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