Loudoun Garage Fire Was Sparked By Oil-Soaked Rags: Fire Department

ALDIE, VA — A fire broke out at a home's garage in Aldie on Tuesday morning, according to the Loudoun County Fire and Rescue system. Authorities said the blaze was sparked by improperly disposed oil-soaked rags.

No injuries were reported in the blaze, the fire department said. The fire displaced the home's residents, two adults and a child.

In total, the fire caused $150,000 in damages, according to the fire marshal's office.

The fire began around 12:30 a.m. on Tuesday, the fire department said in a news release. At that time, crews responded to the home on Yellow Birch Court in Aldie and found heavy smoke and fire emitting from the attached garage. The residents had already evacuated.

Firefighters extinguished the blaze from inside the garage. Authorities said a closed interior door and non-combustible siding kept the fire from spreading to the rest of the home.

The fire marshal's office determined that improperly disposed rags soaked with oil sparked the fire.

"This incident demonstrates the significant safety hazards posed by some do-it-yourself projects around the home," the fire department wrote in a news release. "When oil and stain-soaked rags are not disposed of properly they become a fire hazard due to their ability to spontaneously combust."

Authorities provided the following suggestions to help residents properly dispose of rags soaked with oil:

• Dry rags by spreading them out or hanging them away from other hazardous materials or fires.
• An oily rag can be considered cured when it is hard and brittle.
• Once a rag is dry and cured, residents can place it in a container with a lid and
• A cured rag can be disposed of at a hazardous materials waste collection site.

More information is available on the fire department's website.