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Featured Article
Construction Fires, Are you at Risk?
Most probably remember the construction fire at Santana Row in 2002, some may have also heard of the 5 alarm blaze at the construction site of a luxury apartment also in San Jose in January of this year. These construction fires highlight the importance and potential risk of having combustible materials on a construction site and knowing how they react together.
The May/June 2007 Custom Home magazine had an article entitled "Combustible Combination: A costly lesson in basic science" by Dennis A. Dixon. In it he relates how a fire started on the construction site of a new home, without any matches or spark, or anyone home to start it.
In fact, it started by spontaneous combustion caused by stain-soaked rags that were left in a plastic 5-gallon bucket. The flooring sub had collected all of the rags from the day's work and placed them in an open bucket, and left the pail and its contents inside the house. Several rags were thrown on top of each other, and the weight created friction on the lower layers of cloth, which caused the volatile elements of the stain solvents to heat up and smolder. Since there was no lid placed on the bucket, there was an oxygen source present and the fumes ignited. It quickly spread after melting the bucket to the newly stained hardwood floor and along the newly stained trim materials on sawhorses near by.
Most people aren't aware of spontaneous combustion and that most paint, stain, solvent, and cleaning materials are susceptible to it under the right conditions. To prevent risk when using these materials, all job rags should be placed in a sealed metal bucket, soaked with water, and placed in a non-combustible area.
-Art Childers and Allison Livingston, MFC Staff
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