Firefighters from six towns try to save a log cabin home on
Old Mill Stream Road in Waite on Sunday
MARCH 8, 2015
WAITE, MAINE
An exploding vacuum cleaner ignited a fire that destroyed a
log cabin on Old Mill Road on Sunday despite the efforts of firefighters from
six towns. No injuries were reported, but the house is a total loss, officials
said.
Indian Township firefighters called in mutual aid from the Alexander,
Baileyville, Calais, Danforth and Princeton fire departments when the call came
in from a man at the cabin at about 10:40 a.m., Indian Township dispatcher Carl
Nicholas said.
The first firefighters to arrive, from Indian Township about
eight miles away, quickly doused the flames in the garage where the vacuum was
located. But the fire had already spread
through a breezeway into the 2 ½-story cabin’s first and second floors and then
the roof, said Indian Township Fire Chief David Nicholas, whose cousin is Carl
Nicholas.
Heavy smoke and fire damage occurred on the first and second
floors of the cabin, and about three-quarters of the roof is gone. A lack of
available water forced firefighters to shuttle it from the Indian Township
station, but that didn’t really impede their efforts, David Nicholas said.
“There were four or five trucks bringing water back and
forth so we didn’t have any problems,” David Nicholas said.
No one interviewed knew why the vacuum exploded. Maine State
Fire Marshal’s Office investigators will visit the site on Monday. David
Nicholas said he saw nothing suspicious in the fire’s origins.
Firefighters left the scene at about 4:30 p.m. They stayed
that long to try to ensure that the fire wouldn’t reignite, David Nicholas
said.
Since the vacuum cleaner was in the garage, it is possible
that it was used to pick up flammable materials (such as gasoline or fuel oil)
that ignited inside the vacuum, causing the explosion. The blower inside the vacuum cleaner is not explosion-proof,
meaning that a spark inside the blower will not be contained, creating an explosion.
In an explosion-proof/dust ignition-proof vacuum, everything
from the outer shell to the internal mechanics, including the motor, switches,
filters and inner chambers are grounded and constructed of non-sparking
materials such as stainless steel. Be aware that some industrial vacuum
companies offer basic models dressed up with a few anti-static accessories and
describe them as suitable for explosive material. These imposters can still
create arcs, sparks or heat that can cause overheating and ignition of the exterior
atmosphere that can ignite dust blanketing the vacuum.
It is also possible that the vacuum cleaner was used to
clean combustible dust.
Source:bangordailynews.com