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Westlake house fire caused by improper disposal of oily rags

Jun 19, 2018 | 4:24 PM

Red Deer Emergency Services says a house fire in Red Deer’s Westlake neighbourhood on Tuesday afternoon was caused by the improper disposal of oily rags.

RDES was called around 1:20 p.m. to the single-family dwelling at 61 Wade Close, according to Assistant Deputy Chief Damian LaGrange.

“People were out early on in the fire which started it sounds like on the back side of the house,” he said at the scene. “There was no immediate risk to the people that managed to get out early.” That included at least one woman and a cat.

The fire began near the ground on the east side the house, went up the vinyl siding and into the roof before it could be completely put out. The fire also melted some siding on a neighbouring home. Damages on the house which caught fire are estimated at $200,000.

Assistant Fire Marshall Tim Kivell explains that the residents were staining their deck and had attempted to properly dispose of oily rags they were using, but didn’t do it quite right. The type of stain they were using, made by Osmo Canada, can spontaneously combust if left in the heat and are not dried out sufficiently.

It was upwards of 30 degrees Celsius on Tuesday in Red Deer.

“This is a reminder to folks to make sure you know your smoke detectors are working” LaGrange adds. “Make sure your home escape plan is in place. Those two things can make a big difference.”

Two people in the area were treated for smoke inhalation, according to a tweet from The City of Red Deer.