Two-story tall icicles hang from Detroit home after pipe burst

Frozen water pipes can damage home if they burst, spraying water everywhere, but it rarely gets this bad.

"A broken pipe flooded this house and turned the side into this: thick ice ... The running water flowed from the house and into the street, making driving slick," the WDIV reporter said.

Neighbors say the home's tenants vacated the home when it got cold, but never let the city's water department know.

With temperatures averaging below freezing in Detroit over the last month, this was the result.

"Two-story tall icicles. Inside the near 100-year-old home on Boston St. on the west side of Detroit, who knows," a WJBK reporter said.

"It started at the bottom. Then, water just started freezing on the outside going to the top," neighbor Shanelle Shepard told WJBK.

When water in pipes freezes, it expands, resulting in pipes bursting. Though, with proper maintenance, you can reduce the chances of that happening.

The American Red Cross provides several tips on how to keep pipes warm in the cold weather including:

- Draining water from your swimming pool and sprinklers

- Removing, draining and storing hoses used outdoors.

- Installing specific products made to insulate water pipes like a "pipe sleeve," "heat tape" or "heat cable"

WDIV reports the city is cleaning up the mess at a loss since it can't track down who previously lived in the home and where they are now.

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