Anawak emptied two fire extinguishers onto the flames, holding the blaze in check until firefighters arrived.

The fire, which was confined to the furnace room, broke out about 6 p.m. on Jan. 23.

Rankin fire Chief Rick Penner said the dwelling suffered over $5,000 in damage.

"Contractors had been in the house soldering pipes close to the wall and that's, apparently, what caused the fire," said Penner.

"Mr. Anawak tried to put the fire out with two extinguishers, but then realized it was worse than he anticipated and phoned us.

"The measures he took did slow the fire down and the guys on the responding squad did so quickly and affected rapid containment.