A four-alarm fire at a Bourne woodworking business Jan. 10 was accidentally started by the combustion of oily rags, the Massachusetts Department of Fire Services said Wednesday.
Investigators determined that the fire began beneath a workbench on the first floor of the building where staining applicators were used and stored, the department said in a statement.
Bourne Fire/Rescue responded to the fire at 150 State Road around 6:30 p.m. Saturday. Second, third and fourth alarms were quickly sounded due to the building’s size and scope of the fire, the statement said.
It took 65 firefighters from over a dozen departments six hours to bring the blaze under control, the Bourne Fire Department said in a separate statement issued Sunday.
One firefighter suffered a minor injury that did not require treatment or transportation, fire officials said.
A Hazmat team was called to asses danger from toxic and flammable chemicals used in woodworking, but technicians found no imminent hazards to first responders or the community, state officials said.
“The oils in some paints, stains, and varnishes release heat as they dry,” Bourne Fire Chief David S. Pelonzi said in the statement. “If the heat is trapped in a pile of rags or applicators, it can ignite. This is especially hazardous because ignition can occur hours after the rags were used, when no one is aware of the danger.”
Oily rags were a cause or factor in more than a dozen fires last year, the Department of Fire Services said.
Pelonzi and State Fire Marshal Jon M. Davine urged the public to exhibit caution during and after the use of paints, stains and varnishes by drying rags individually outdoors and properly disposing of them afterwards.
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