Rags Spontaneously Catch Fire, Destroy Home

WATCH: House Fire Caught on Camera

Fire investigators now know how a house fire on Golden Hills Road started.

The fire department says the fire, which gutted the home and displaced a family, started when linseed oil-soaked rags spontaneously caught fire in the garage. The fire quickly engulfed two cars before spreading from the garage into the home.

Neighbor Hilda Paglow lives just feet from where the fire started. "I seen flames shooting out of my neighbors’ windows," she said.

Homeowners Mike and Kim Sebring, along with Mike’s mother, made it out of the home, but are in shock from their close call. The couple lost everything after living in the home for more than a decade.

The family was working on a new deck, and had linseed oil and rags improperly stored in the garage. The oil is used to protect wood from water damage, but it heats up as it evaporates. This caused the rags to spontaneously ignite.

Joan Hanna and her husband are caring for their grandchildren just a few houses away, and woke up to the commotion and fire trucks outside.

"Smoke was just billowing out," Hanna said.

She opened their home to the Sebring’s while firefighters worked furiously to put out the flames.

"When Gary said ‘Joan I think Kim's house is on fire’ I just couldn't believe it. We just thought it can't be, we were just shocked," Hanna said.

Neighbors said the family heard the explosions from those gallon-sized cans of stain, and that may have saved their lives.

"Spontaneous combustion, I think that lit it and then they woke to the explosion of the cans so that's why they woke up and luckily they got out. All of them safe," neighbor Benjamin Self said.

A confusion in the address delayed firefighters from arriving on scene, but within a half hour they had the fire knocked down. Hanna saw Kim for a few minutes and told 11 News she's handling it the best she can.

"(She) seemed to be numb to the whole thing," Hanna said.

The family had two pets, a cat and a dog. Their dog survived, but their cat didn't make it. Kim was the only person treated for injuries, with a slight burn on her arm.

Firefighters say rags used with linseed oil need to be dried out completely before being thrown away. They can also be stored safely in a metal container with a sealed lid. Anything less could lead to devastating fire.