Oily-stained rags in a bucket causes house fire; smoke detectors allow four people, two dogs to escape without injury

Published 9:44 am Friday, April 29, 2011

Last Friday’s early morning raging house fire just outside the Redmond city limits — where four people and two dogs escaped without injury — was caused by the spontaneous combustion of stain rags left in a bucket, according to King County fire investigators.

“Oily rags or rags used on oil-based paint and stain and left in a relatively closed environment, such as a bucket or in a pile, can catch fire via spontaneous combustion,” said Sgt. John Urquhart, spokesperson for the King County Sheriff’s Office.

Redmond Fire Department officials credited smoke detectors for saving the lives of the four people and two dogs who were inside the rambler-style house when the fire erupted in the garage.

At approximately 4:17 a.m., about 45 firefighters from the Redmond Fire, Eastside Fire, and Fall-City Fire departments responded to a report of a smoke detector alarm in the 20900 block of N.E. 50th Street of unincorporated King County.

The oily rags caught fire in the garage, which was engulfed in flames when firefighters arrived, and the blaze traveled to what appeared to be a den/media room, according to Redmond Fire Lt. Mike Titus.

The four people in the house along with two dogs were able to escape the house without injury after hearing the smoke detector, but there was substantial damage to the house and two vehicles.

Redmond Deputy Chief Bob Oliver said the owners of the house were out of town and that the people in the home were two sets of in-laws, who were house sitting.

Firefighters battled the fire for almost two hours and cut a trench in the roof near the attic to stop the fire from spreading throughout the whole house, Oliver said.

“The flames had spread to the house, we jumped on it and did some aggressive firefighting,” Oliver said. “We saved about half the house.”

The attached garage burnt to the ground. The roof of the den/media room collapsed and the inside was a charred, blackened mess. In addition, two trucks, parked outside the garage, caught fire and were destroyed.

King County fire investigators were on the scene early last Friday morning after the fire was doused to determine a cause. Titus along with Redmond firefighter David Watson were also on the scene last Friday afternoon, working to douse and destroy any smoldering spots that potentially could turn into another fire.

“We’re here to make sure everything is put out,” Titus said.

The house, approximately 2,600 square feet, is located on a hill off of Northeast 50th Street in a heavily wooded area, a couple miles outside the eastern edge of Redmond city limits.

Oliver said that the smoke detectors were the key lifesavers of this fast-spreading, powerful fire. He encouraged all home owners and renters to install smoke detectors and check them regularly.

For tips on how to avoid spontaneous combustion in your home, click here.