Plumbing work determined to be cause of Saturday duplex fire; damage estimated at $150,000

A fire in a duplex on Legends Circle Saturday caused about $150,000 in damages, Lawrence-Douglas County Fire Medical Division Chief Eve Tolefree said Monday.

The fire department responded to a call of a structure fire at 1450/1452 Legends Circle at 4:52 p.m. Saturday. Callers had reported smoke and flames coming from the back of the two-story, wood-framed duplex.

The fire was upgraded to a second alarm on the arrival of the first crew. Firefighters declared the fire under control at 5:48 p.m., and no one was injured. Residents were displaced because of the damage.

Tolefree said on Monday that investigators determined that the fire ignited after the homeowner had done plumbing work on some copper piping, which involved solder and an open flame.

A fire department representative said that a fragment of wood around the plumbing work area likely caught fire during the plumbing process and smoldered while residents were away from the home, ultimately culminating in flames.

The fire was ruled accidental, Tolefree said.