Please Don’t Be This Guy. Ice, Snow Buildup Should be Treated Carefully

An overexcited Oregonian trying to melt ice in their gutters with a blowtorch inadvertently set their roof on fire, Oregon firefighters say. The Cornelius resident was misguidingly attempting to protect the gutters from damage by removing heavy ice buildup but instead started a fire on the wooden roof, the Cornelius Fire Department said in a Feb. 25 Face book post. The energy was commendable; the results less so. “Please never use open flames to melt ice or snow from a building or anything combustible,” firefighters wrote.

We can perhaps laugh at this person, or some of us may commiserate with them, but there are lessons learned here. Chief among them is to connect with others for advice and help. Call a neighbor or friend or neighborhood group or any local resource you can find to see if there is a removal system in place, or what you should be doing, and if there is a cleanup list you can join or even volunteer for. 

Experts recommend running hot water over the ice, or sweeping it once it begins melting, but not to use shovels or trowels either because that might damage the roof while scraping off the snow and ice. Your best friend is time. 

So hunker down, wait for warmer weather, and leave ice removal to experts or use safe procedures – no fires. This is happening against a harsh weather backdrop. Gov. Tina Kotek declared a state of emergency in Multnomah County following a winter storm and several days of freezing temperatures last week. “This week’s record-breaking snowstorm impacted thousands of Oregonians and has caused increased demand for local warming shelters,” Kotek said in a statement. “With severe cold weather forecasted through next week the state is dedicated to providing the assistance needed to keep Oregonians warm and safe.”

At CRT, as we navigate these winter storms, we would like to remind everyone to think before they act, and, most importantly, to be safe: that’s the number one priority. Leave the blowtorch in the shed and call someone instead.