Pipe, cooler, fish tank douse Massachusetts blaze

PITTSFIELD, Mass. (AP) - In what a top department official called a first, Pittsfield firefighters arrived on the scene of a blaze this week to find it had already been extinguished by a water cooler, a fish tank, and a broken water pipe.

Deputy Fire Chief Mark Cancilla (kan-SILL'-uh) tells The Berkshire Eagle that the Wednesday evening blaze started in a malfunctioning water cooler that melted, releasing water. The heat also caused a fish tank to leak.

The flames burned through the wall causing the joint on the water pipe to break, releasing more water.

He says the house sustained heavy smoke damage.

He says he's seen similar situations involving leaking pipes putting out fires, but had never seen a blaze where a fish tank and a water cooler contributed.

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Information from: The Berkshire Eagle, http://www.berkshireeagle.com

Copyright 2012 The Associated Press.

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