COLUMBUS, Ohio -- Pipes in vacant homes are causing problems for fire departments around Central Ohio.
Kim Pulvino called 911 after she noticed water dripping from the front step and widows of a vacant home in her Westerville neighborhood, NBC 4's Mikaela Hunt reported.
The Genoa Township Fire Department responded to the call and found a broken pipe had caused flowing water in the house for a week.
"The ceiling came down through much of the house," said Genoa Township Fire Chief Gary Honeycutt.
In the last three weeks, the Columbus Division of Fire responded to 69 homes with busted pipes -- 63 of which occurred in the last seven days.
Several of the homes, according to Battalion Chief Doug Smith, were most likely vacant.
"We go to these vacant houses and we don't know what utilities are on or off," Smith said. "We'll be tied up for another hour or so and we'll miss another run."
In those situations another fire station has to pick up the slack, and fire officials said it could take more time to respond from a farther distance, affecting another dangerous situation.
Officials recommend residents who are leaving for an extended vacation to shut off the water at the meter, drain the pipes and turn off valves at the toilets. The same is recommended for those in charge of a home that has been foreclosed on.
If the utilities must stay on, keep the thermostat at 60 degrees. If not, the damage won't be just done to one house, but maybe others on the block.
Below is a map of the locations where Columbus Fire have seen water problems in homes due to the cold and had to tie up city resources to respond.
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