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.