Man cleaning with blowtorch sets house on fire

A single-story home in Sargent was damaged by fire on Wednesday morning after the homeowner accidentally set the fire while cleaning cobwebs from the eaves around the exterior of the residence with a blow torch.

The 1,400-square-foot, single-story home belonging to Galen and Tammy Winchell is at 59 Smith Road in Sargent. Shortly before 11 a.m. - according to Coweta Fire Investigator James Gantt - Galen Winchell was admittedly torching cobwebs when he noticed smoke coming from his home.

Family members and neighbours looked on with emotion while firefighters worked diligently to save the residence.



The fire was contained to one end of the house, however there was water damage and smoke damage throughout.

"This was an unfortunate accident," said Gantt. "Nobody was hurt, but it could have been a lot worse."

Gantt advised against using a blow torch to rid a home of cobwebs.