The fortuitous location of a water line might have prevented the displacement and potential injury to dozens of people on Sunday night, according to Chief Chris Switala of the Butler Fire Department.

Switala said crews were dispatched at 11:11 p.m. to a large apartment building on West North Street across from Broad Street Elementary School for a fire in the basement. Upon arrival, firefighters noticed light smoke coming from the windows in a basement apartment unit, Switala said.

They found the source of the smoke, which was a small fire inside a closet.

Switala said a water pipe inside the closet had extinguished the fire when the heat from the flames melted the solder on the pipe, causing the water to leak onto the fire and put it out.

Firefighters from Butler and VA Butler Fire and Emergency Services confirmed the fire was out and set up ventilation to remove the smoke from the building.

The apartment building has tenants, but the basement apartment unit where the fire occurred was unoccupied, Switala said. About 30 people were evacuated from the building, and began to be let back inside after about 90 minutes, he said.

“The fire damage was contained to the closet in the basement unit,” Switala said.

He estimated damages at about $5,000.