Editor’s note: the following is a press release issued by East Pierce Fire and Rescue

An accidental fire destroyed a historic house the morning of Dec. 15 on the 32600 block of Manley-Moore Road East, south of Fairfax.

Firefighters from East Pierce Fire and Rescue responded to reports of a fire at the single-story, wood structure just before 9 a.m.The owner, who did not live in the house at the time, said he was attempting to thaw frozen water pipes with a propane torch when a wall accidentally caught fire. He reported to dispatchers that the home was fully-involved. By the time firefighters arrived, the structure was a total loss.

According to the owner, the house was built in the early 1900s for supervisors of the Manley-Moore Lumber Company, one of the largest inland sawmills in the state at the turn of the century.