Oily rags spark La Pine trailer fire, officials say
A fire that destroyed a 16-foot utility trailer in La Pine early Tuesday morning likely was caused by spontaneous combustion of oil-soaked rags from a deck-staining project, officials said.
La Pine Rural Fire District crews were dispatched around 4:45 a.m. to the reported vehicle fire with an outbuilding/shop exposure in the 1900 block of Blanket Court, Captain Fred Franklin said. Dispatchers said the homeowners were trying to put out the flames with a hose.
They arrived to find the utility trailer and contents ablaze, about 12 feet from a shop.
The couple who owned the trailer said the woman awakened to attend to their dogs, spotted the fire, alerted her husband and called 911, Franklin said. She said they almost had the fire out with their hose, but a Polaris Ranger ATV in the trailer then caught fire.
The couple said they were planning to leave Wednesday for their other home, in California, and had packed the previous day. Along with loading the ATV, they said they had stained the deck Monday and put the stained rags and other trash in the trailer, planning to discard it in a dumpster at their other home, Franklin said.
The cause of the fire is believed to be spontaneous combustion of the stain-soaked rags that were not disposed of properly, Franklin said. No injuries were reported.
Fire officials remind residents to take stain-soaked rags and submerse them in water, using a can or tight-fitting plastic bags, to keep the oils from heating up and sparking a fire. Another method is to lay the rags flat or hang them outside and let them dry for several days.
Contact your local fire agency for the preferred disposal method.
