Small fire at nursing home caused by stored cleaning rags

A fire caused by  used cleaning rags was contained to a  storage closet at the Southeast Rehabilitation and Skilled Care Center, on Lincoln Street, early this morning.

There were no injuries and no residents had to be evacuated during the fire, said Captain William Downey, of the Easton Fire Department.

Downey said the fire department was alerted at about 8 a.m.  through the facility's fire alarm system.  Apparently the rags, which were soaked with cleaning supplies, spontaneously erupted into flames, inside a janitor's closet in the basement.  A sprinkler contained the fire for several minutes before firefighters arrived.

"It's not a good idea to store used rags – believe it or not they catch on fire," he said.

Besides structural damage to the janitor's closet, there was only minor smoke and water damage done to a nearby kitchen, on the bottom floor.  There was no smoke damage in any of the residents' rooms, who live on floors about that area.

"Once the fire alarm went off, all those doors closed automatically, so smoke was contained to the bottom floor," Downey said.

 Downey said that the incident demonstrates that this type of incident can occur, and he recommends that people  throw out their rags after cleaning.  He said that they should dispose of them in a metal container, stored outside.

The Southeastern Rehabilitation and Skilled Care is a 171-bed facility that provides 24-hour care and rehabilitation to elderly patients.