A fire at Better Floors Inc., a Chesterfield County, Va. flooring business, on July 30 has been ruled a "spontaneous combustion" incident by investigators, according to WRIC News.
A fire at Better Floors Inc., a Chesterfield County, Va. flooring business, on July 30 has been ruled a "spontaneous combustion" incident by investigators, according to WRIC News.
The fire started after towels inside a company van "used in the flooring process" burst into flame. The van was parked in the company's warehouse.
The Chesterfield Fire Department spokesperson said spontaneous combustion can happen when using wood-sealing chemicals: "The oil, under the right conditions, can produce its own heat and set the rag on fire," Lt. Jason Elmore told WTVR.
Elmore also advised people using those chemicals to discard rags in metal containers filled with water to prevent fires due to spontaneous combustion.
The fire was a two-alarm incident, and took firefighters an hour and 15 minutes to get under control.
The fire damaged the warehouse and several vehicles parked inside. Investigators also said the warehouse received significant smoke damage, but the offices and showroom received only minor damage.