'Spontaneous Combustion' Blamed for San Rafael Fire

The San Rafael area recorded what appears to be another spontaneous combustion fire Thursday, according to the San Rafael Fire Department.

Firefighters from Marinwood, San Rafael and Novato responded shortly after 10 p.m. to a fire in a garage of a one-story home in the 200 block of Mt. Shasta Drive in Marin County, fire officials said.

Crews found smoke and fire rising from the garage and were able to stop the fire from spreading to the rest of the home, according to the fire department.

“Firefighters did an outstanding job of preventing this serious fire from being much, much worse,” Fire Chief Christopher Gray said.

But the fire damaged the garage, an exterior wall and a fence. Fire officials estimate the amount of damage at more than $50,000. All civilians and firefighters left the home uninjured, according to the fire department.

Fire officials said the cause of the fire is under investigation, but it appears to have started spontaneously, which can happen when an object chemically heats to its ignition temperature.

“The cause of the fire is under investigation and appears to have been caused by ’spontaneous combustion’ started from leftover oily towels used to complete refinishing of a wood deck earlier in the day,” Gray said. “The materials were stored adjacent to a vent on the side of the garage/house.”

More than a dozen fires in the San Rafael area in the past several years have started spontaneously when someone disposed of oily towels or materials improperly, according to the fire department.

Here’s some advice from the fire department on preventing these types of fires:

• Always assume that all will all paints, stains and oils used will spontaneously combust, even though the container may not provide a warning.
• Follow manufacturer disposal guidelines.
• Place all materials into a metal container with a tight top; or
• Lay materials out flat on the ground to dry away from structures. Reuse them or dispose of them once dry; or
• Place into bucket of water to soak then lay out on the ground or separated on clothes line to dry, then reuse them or dispose of them at the Hazardous Waste Facility Marin Household

– Bay City News Service contributed to this report.