Read a story about wood stain rags causing a fire

[sxg6]

I just read a story about some wood stain soaked rags that were inside a plastic bag combusting, and starting a fire. As a worry wart, I've always worried about stuff like this. My question to those smarter than me, how does this happen? How do rags in a plastic bag just combust and start a fire? I think I'll start doing what the story says and store them in a metal container instead of tossing them in a plastic trash can, but I feel like something is missing. There must have been a spark or something, heating source nearby, no?

Investigators: Wood stain rags spark Waterville fire

Extensive damage to home reported

www.wmtw.com

 

[Astro14]

Linseed oil dries with an exothermic reaction. It gives off heat as it dries. Enough heat in a small area results in combustion.

Beware finishes that are oil based.

Don’t throw rags soaked in them in any thing, they will get very hot and can start a fire, so the metal can is irrelevant.

Instead, spread out rags that have oil based stain in them, let them air out, until dry. They dry slowly and stay cool. Once dry, throw them out.

 

[doitmyself]

Spontaneous Combustion

https://www.bendoregon.gov/home/showdocument?id=16299

Damp hay in a barn can catch fire also.

 

[skyactiv]

I'm a semi mechanic and we have a uniform service that cleans our rags and uniforms. The rags go in a short red metal can with a lid you open with your foot.

 

[gman2304]

I drop my staining rags in a bucket of water outside, let them soak a couple of days, then throw them out.

 

[Eddie]

I had that happen in my parents basement. I was working on a lawn mower engine and left oily rags in a pile. The next morning my Moms said something is burning and we found the rags smoldering and I don't smoke. Dad said Spontaneous combustion which I never had heard of that. Ed

 

[clinebarger]

Linseed oil dries with an exothermic reaction. It gives off heat as it dries. Enough heat in a small area results in combustion.

Beware finishes that are oil based.

Don’t throw rags soaked in them in any thing, they will get very hot and can start a fire, so the metal can is irrelevant.

Instead, spread out rags that have oil based stain in them, let them air out, until dry. They dry slowly and stay cool. Once dry, throw them out.

There are metal cans with self closing lids that just about every mechanic shop uses.

 

[walterjay]

Had the very same thing happen last year right down the road from me. Very nice house. They stained their deck and threw the rags into a pile on the corner. It caught fire and completely destroyed the entire place including a new truck in the garage. They were not home and the dog was trapped and perished. Seeing this first hand I am now much more careful concerning oily rags. Insurance completely rebuilt everything and provided a new truck but they lost all posessions and memorabilia and pet. Very scary and sad.

 

[4WD]

There are metal cans with self closing lids that just about every mechanic shop uses.

Oily Waste Can - Red, 6 Gallon H-1846R - Uline

Safe, secure disposal for oily and solvent-soaked rags. Prevents fires due to spontaneous combustion. Hands-free; foot pedal opens lid. Lead-free galvanized steel with powder-coat finish.ULINE offers over 41,000 boxes, plastic poly bags, mailing tubes, warehouse supplies and bubble wrap for your...

www.uline.com

 

[nthach]

I need to warn my dad about oil stain-soaked rags. I saw he tossed a few into the dumpster.

Oil stain with linseed oil is becoming more rare due to air quality laws - soybean oil or tall-oil alkyd resins are now what’s in an “oil-base” stain or paint. Ben Moore and Behr are pushing water-based alkyd paints to replace oil-base, and Behr is now selling an water based stain to complete against Minwax at Home Depot(with the intention to push them out, Minwax is a Sherwin-Williams brand).

 

[Astro14]

There are metal cans with self closing lids that just about every mechanic shop uses.

Yes.

Those cans will stop oily shop rags from igniting via a stray spark. Good stuff. Used to have them in aircraft maintenance spaces as well. But oily shop rags are very different from rags with linseed oil.

The linseed oil rags will combust on their own, inside that can. They may stop burning because of oxygen deprivation, they may not.

That kind of can is great for your shop, but I just wouldn’t trust it for dealing with the risks of linseed oil.

I use linseed oil often to bring out the grain in figured wood, or to maintain old gun stocks. Those linseed oil rags are handled very differently than shop rags. I spread them out to dry... then dispose of them in a metal can.

 

[RhondaHonda]

I threw some motor oil soaked paper towels into a plastic trash bag and it was on the garage floor. Came back the next day and the bag had melted to the concrete. Fortunately no fire or smoke damage but it got enough for me. Now I’m more cautious about oily rags.

 

[tom slick]

At a previous job we had rags with linseed oil combust and cause a bunch of smoke damage, thankfully no fire damage.
There was also a new house under construction that burned down due to a pile of rags left on site over a weekend.

 

[4WD]

Oily rags will spontaneously combust … we only allow these cans outside the doors of shops … under an overhang that includes signs and fire suppression …

But that’s not as effective as my system at home … toss blue paper shop towels in my fire pit

 

[wwillson]

When I was in Jr. High the auditorium burned one night after a play. The custodian had rubbed some scratches on the stage floor with linseed oil on cotton rags. He threw the rags on the floor behind the stage, which spontaneously combusted. One thing I remember seeing was a projector in the balcony that had a reel to reel film in it. The projector melted, but the film didn't.

 

[dbias]

Heat of decomposition is dangerous. A local high rise was doing a remodel of the sixth floor and ironically the construction crew had placed all the fire rated replacement door slabs in one room where they were being stained and urethaned. The rags were left in a pile by them and caught the 30 some doors on fire. The fire was held to the room of origin thankfully as the sprinkler system to the floor was down for modification also so I had to have my crew attach to the stairwell standpipe with our hotel pack in order to get water on it. Not fun.

 

[simple_gifts]

 

[spasm3]

Oily rags will spontaneously combust … we only allow these cans outside the doors of shops … under an overhang that includes signs and fire suppression …

But that’s not as effective as my system at home … toss blue paper shop towels in my fire pit

Same here, i just go ahead and burn them in my burn barrel, none left around.

 

[opus1]

Spontaneous Combustion

https://www.bendoregon.gov/home/showdocument?id=16299

Damp hay in a barn can catch fire also.

Also mulch. I've read stories about people buying bags of the stuff, setting them in a pile next to the house and a fire starts and takes part of the house with the mulch.

 

[ET16]

There's a theory that Lot's wife might have spontaneously combusted.