Jefferson Township Fire and EMS responded to a house fire near the Fayette-Greene County line Sunday afternoon.

According to a news release from active Jefferson Township fire chief Jeff Warner (who took over Jan. 1 due to the previous chief, Aaron Hauer, being on military deployment), the Jefferson Township Fire and EMS were dispatched to a residence on State Route 734 at about 3:09 p.m. Sunday. Upon arrival of the fire engine, the crew noticed smoke coming from the east side of the home.

Further investigation discovered the fire was in the crawl space and the east side wall. The crew deployed a hose line, attacked the fire and was able to get it knocked down and under control.

“The cause of this fire was a torpedo heater being used to thaw frozen pipes,” Warner said during an interview Monday afternoon. “The house was not a complete loss, but the biggest issue here was trying to thaw these pipes with a space heater. This can result, as we saw with this scenario, in the area catching fire. We understand the frustration with frozen pipes, but we urge the community to consider their options when trying to thaw out and be safe while doing so.”

Once the fire was under control, further manpower and equipment arrived on scene to assist. Units from Silvercreek Township, New Jasper Township, the Fayette County Sheriff’s Office, the Greene County Sheriff’s Office and Dayton, Power & Light were all credited with helping during the structure fire. Thanks to these efforts, the fire was contained to the kitchen area, bathroom and the crawl space.

All units returned to the station at 5:26 p.m. without incident. Warner also made note that the temperature was six degrees outside at the time.

The information in this article was provided by the Jefferson Township Fire and EMS.

Reach Martin Graham at (740) 313-0351 or on Twitter @MartiTheNewsGuy.