Workers Using a Blowtorch Start House Fire in Purchase

Workers making renovations to a home on Purchase Street started a small fire Wednesday morning, damaging two floors inside the large wood-frame building.

The fire started at about 11:30 a.m. at 2901 Purchase Street and spread from the first floor to the second floor in the back of the home. Men using a blowtorch to cut through pipes on the first floor told authorities they accidentally started the blaze.

"They were cutting the pipe with a torch — old house, fire — and it took off from there," said Purchase Fire Chief Joseph Brefere Jr. 

No one was injured. There was moderate damage to the home but it is not a loss, Brefere Jr. said. It took firefighters about an hour to place the fire under control. During that time Purchase Street was closed from Anderson Hill Road to Manhattanville Road to extend a water line to the burning building.

The home is located at the end of a driveway that extends about 150 feet from Purchase Street.

Smoke was visible coming out of windows on the back side of the building, but the fire never spread to the building's roof. Firefighters were pulling material from the home to check for underlying pockets of fire by 12: 30 p.m. They began clearing the scene shortly after that.

Jean Taplett, who has owned the home for 35 years, said she was in the kitchen when she smelled smoke and called authorities.

"It's just a lot of smoke, I just hope my kids' stuff is okay," she said, standing outside of her home. "It's going to be a mess, but that's alright."

The Purchase Fire Department, Harrison Police Department and Harrison EMS were at the scene.