In February 2026, we completed a job for a client who also happens to be my financial advisor. The reason I'm telling you about it is because of something totally unexpected, even after all my years of being in this business, and I hope sharing it spares somebody some serious troubles.
The job consisted of approximately 550 square feet of carpet removal, followed by the installation of 5” x 3/4” pine flooring, which we nailed down, sanded, and finished to match the existing floors.
The home is located in a rural area on more than 20 acres. During the project, my installers stacked the rolls of removed carpet next to a large oak tree in the front yard. As we were sanding the floors, we bagged our sanding dust at the end of the day and placed the bags next to the pile of carpet. Unfortunately, the stain rags were also laid on top of the pile (I usually haul the debris off upon completion of the job).
The next morning, I arrived at the job to apply the finish coats—only to discover that what had been a pile of debris the day before had become a burn pile.
The fire had started around 3:00 a.m., and the client’s security cameras began sending alerts to his phone. He assumed the activity was caused by deer in the yard and didn’t think anything of it.
Around 4:30 a.m., while walking downstairs, he noticed that the area in the front yard was on fire and smoldering. He grabbed a garden hose and was able to extinguish it. Thankfully, the damage was minimal and limited to a few plants:
With nearly three decades of experience as a hardwood flooring contractor, inspector and instructor, I know better than to assume that leaving a pile of carpet, sanding dust and stain rags together was safe, even on a cool February day. I take full responsibility for that mistake.
This was a serious wake-up call for me. If this can happen to me after 30 years in this industry, it can happen to anyone.
It also made me stop and think about what could have happened. We were extremely fortunate that the fire remained outside and that the client discovered it before it spread. I can’t imagine what the outcome could have been for this family if that fire had started inside the home.
This experience reinforced something I already know but will never take for granted again: Safety isn’t something we can afford to overlook, no matter how much experience we have. Sometimes the biggest lessons come from our own mistakes.
