Laundry room fire causes flooding that saves home - KTTC Rochester, Austin, Mason City News, Weather and Sports

MOTLEY, Minn. (AP) -- A rural home near Motley should have been engulfed by the time firefighters arrived. It wasn't.

The Brainerd Dispatch reports that's because the fire caused flooding that saved the house.

Pequot Lakes Fire Chief Tom Nelson says the home is about 25 miles from the fire hall. He says the homeowner put some laundry in the washer Friday, took a walk and when she returned the house was full of smoke. Fortunately, he says, the heat from the fire melted one of the joints on the copper pipes. It flooded the laundry area and put out most of the fire.

If it weren't for the flooding, he says, the home most likely would have been lost.

The fire chief says the cause of the fire wasn't immediately clear.