SE Prineville garage fire traced to spontaneous combustion

A fire that caused $30,000 damage to the garage of a southeast Prineville home late Monday night was caused by spontaneous combustion of spilled deck stain, investigators said Tuesday.

Crook County Fire & Rescue responded around 11:10 p.m. to the residential structure fire reported at a home on Southeast Knowledge Street, Fire Marshal Casey Kump said. A neighbor who called in the fire reported hearing an aerosol can explode when they went outside.

Crews arrived to find a fire in the home’s attached garage, Kump said. They gained access through the garage door and put out the blaze before it could spread to the living area of the house, which was empty at the time, he said.

The cause was found to be spontaneous combustion of deck stain that spilled onto a rug and other materials earlier Monday.

Losses were estimated at $30,000, including personal items, sheetrock and damaged electrical wiring in the garage, Kump said, adding that no one was displaced by the fire.