Saturday, March 21, 2015

A PILE OF CHEMICAL-SOAKED RAGS SPONTANEOUSLY COMBUSTED, CAUSING A FIRE INSIDE A HARDWARE SHOP IN HUTCHINSON, KANSAS










MARCH 19, 2015

HUTCHINSON, KANSAS

A pile of chemical-soaked rags spontaneously combusted, causing a fire on the inside of a hardware shop on Main Street early Thursday morning, Hutchinson Fire Chief Kim Forbes said.

Hutchinson Fire Department Blue Crew, led by Battalion Chief Darin Gehring, responded to The Board Foot Hardwood and Hardware, 921 S. Main St., at 3:03 a.m. Thursday. Forbes said firefighters arrived to find heavy smoke bellowing from the rear of the business, but there were no visible flames.

Firefighters forced their way in through an overhead garage door, but Forbes said the cloud of dark smoke limited visibility. Firefighters then found a fire towards the middle of the building.

The fire was controlled in 20 minutes, but Forbes said it wasn’t a “large battle” because the fire had burned itself out. Firefighters were at the business for about two hours. Damage is estimated at $120,000.

The building was unoccupied at the time of the fire and no one was injured.
Forbes said he thought the fire was caused by spontaneous combustion because several piles of cloth were found in various places, such as on wood and around other combustibles. There were multiple door frames aligned through a west garage door entrance, and vinyl material. Forbes explained that if the chemical rags are smoldering in a pile, it could catch fire and spread with the other materials around it.

The Board Foot owner, Kevin Bleything, returned to his smoke and water damaged business at about 10:30 a.m. Bleything said workers from Highland Dairy saw smoke coming from the building and peaked inside to see if there was a fire.

The workers didn’t see flames but still called the fire department.

He said the only part of his business that was burned was a new microwave and stove on the inside. Bleything thinks that’s where the fire originated. He and his worker sifted through the pile of charred materials and wood, but they couldn’t find what could have cause the fire, he said.

Beside the burned appliances and smoke damage, the sturdy structure remained intact, Bleything added.

The Board Foot on South Main Street is the old business and is leased out to Craig Droughhard Plumbing. The currently used Board Foot facility is at 1 South Lorraine St.