Pets killed by burst steam pipe

[Catherine]

Quote: What I don't get is -how could a pipe freeze when it had enough searing hot water in it to cause the deaths of those animals? It doesn't make enough sense to me....

Very good point. Cold water pipes freeze and then when they thaw they leak. I think the pipe could have ruptured somehow. It might be an old pipe or the system might be badly maintained. It could even have been a joint or a valve that gave out.  I hope the company inspects the heating pipes for the whole building. I think it is the rental companies responsibility. I hope they do compensate the couple. It won't bring their pets back or ease the pain of such a horrible accident, but it will help them to replace lost property. 

Maybe it is not safe to leave animals shut in one room. They had no way to escape. I know there are lots of reasons to leave animals shut in one room. Of course the whole apartment might have filled with steam if the door had been open. It really was lucky the couple wasn't killed too.