A home under renovation by a nonprofit group in Belleville, Ill., turned into an inferno overnight as rags used to stain the oak parquet hardwood floors spontaneously combusted, according to the Belleville News-Democrat.
The rags had been improperly disposed of in a plastic trash can underneath the home’s carport on the morning of Feb. 27. The fire began the next night.
A video from BND shows the fire raging in the carport.
Dave Berger, the site supervisor for the home renovated by Neighbors for Renewal, told the newspaper it did not occur to him that the rags would combust during winter.
“I thought it took more heat, like summertime in hot garage,” Berger said.
The damage was limited mostly to the carport, and the Belleville fire chief told the paper he believes the home can be salvaged.
The fire, which caused no injuries, is the fourth in Belleville caused by staining rags since August 2014, according to BND.
Spontaneous combustion is a serious threat on wood flooring job sites. Watch HF blogger and NWFA instructor Wayne Lee talk about how to prevent fires on the wood flooring job site.
