Sawdust Combustion From Sander Sparked Fire That Killed 7-Year-Old

Spontaneous combustion from a dust collection bag on a floor sander was determined as the cause of a house fire that took the life of a 7-year-old boy last summer in Dutchess County, N.Y., the Poughkeepsie Journal reports.

The homeowners had been refinishing their dining room floor with a rented floor sander and polyurethane before the fire occurred. The dust bag, which was full and still attached to the unplugged sander, caught fire during the night. The homeowners and four other children in the home were able to make it out unharmed, but the 7-year-old was unable to escape the home in time and died of smoke inhalation, according to Dutchess County officials.