Local Video
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| Oily rags blamed for townhome fire |
By: ARIEL EMERY, Staff Writer
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Posted: Sunday, May 31, 2009 8:25 pm
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UPDATE MONDAY, JUNE 1, 2009:
NORTHFIELD — Oily rags are being blamed for a weekend house fire, Fire Chief Gerry Franek said Monday morning.
“Preliminary signs show it’s probably spontaneous combustion of some rags,” he said.
The homeowner told fire investigators that he had been using linseed oil-soaked rags for wood working, Franek said, and crumpled them up in a plastic garbage container inside the townhouse’s attached garage when he was done.
“They'll actually develop a chemical reaction, a heating process, and can self-ignite,” he said. “I’ve seen it over the years and it's a real issue and problem that people should probably be aware of.”
Investigators do not consider the fire suspicious.
* * * *
No one was injured after fire quickly engulfed a townhome Sunday evening on the city's south side.
Firefighters responded to 2123 Hidden Valley Road after flames were reported coming from its garage around 7:15 p.m. An hour later, crews were stripping siding and insulation from two adjoining townhomes to its left as hundreds of neighbors watched.
The single occupant of the end unit at 2123 was not home at the time the fire broke out, neighbors reported.
Patty Pfeiffer was driving one of the residents of a neighboring unit home about 7:15 when she noticed a smoky haze coming from the garage of 2123. She said both she and the neighbor dismissed it as nothing to worry about. When they emerged from the neighbor's home moments later, they saw flames pouring out, leading them to believe the fire grew quickly.
Flames reached one of the homeowner's vehicles before firefighters arrived, Pfeiffer said. She and other bystanders warned those in the immediate area to move their cars in case of an explosion.
The cause of the fire was unknown as of early Sunday evening, said Asst. Fire Chief Tom Nelson. A state fire marshal, who resides in Northfield, will respond to the scene Sunday night, he added.
— Staff Writer Jim Hammerand contributed to this report.
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