Man repairing pipe causes South Elgin house fire

A man fixing a broken water pipe accidentally caused a house fire in South Elgin Wednesday morning that resulted in $85,000 damage, fire officials said.

No injuries were reported at the site of the blaze, a two-story home at 194 S. Collins St.

South Elgin Fire Protection District Assistant Chief Bill Sohn said insulation caught fire as a man tried to repair a broken water pipe with a torch.

The cause could have been the direct flame, the melted solder or the heated pipe itself.

"The insulation was ignited because he was repairing this pipe," Sohn said. "What exactly happened, nobody will know."

The blaze spread up to the second floor of the home.

Sohn said an estimated $75,000 damage was caused to the home, along with $10,000 to its contents.

The house is uninhabitable for now, but not a total loss, he said.

The South Elgin and Bartlett fire departments arrived at the scene after the initial call at around 11 a.m.

The fire was under control before noon and crews began removing the damaged materials from the home.