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Crime & Safety

Fire at Ashby Lumber Last Night Likely Caused by Flammable Rags

A fire at Ashby Lumber last night was probably caused by spontaneous combustion in rags containing linseed oil.

A fire at Asbhy Lumber last night was ignited by spontaneous combustion in rags containing a wood-staining product, said Deputy Fire Chief Gil Dong.

At about 9:37 p.m. last night, a neighbor reported a fire at Ashby Lumber at 824 Ashby Ave. responded with three engines, a paramedic unit and a duty chief. Berkeley Police also responded, said Chief Dong. The fire was quickly contained.

Fire department officials could not immediately identify the cause of the fire, but later learned that an Ashby Lumber employee had been using a staining product earlier in the day, said Chief Dong. Rags soaked with the stain, which contained linseed oil, were stored in a plastic bag outside the building, he said.

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Rags soaked with linseed oil are a hazard because the oil can oxidize quickly, releasing heat in the process. Chief Dong said the Berkeley Fire Department has conducted tests with linseed oil and seen oil-soaked rags spontaneously burn after about two to three hours.

A fire on June 17 on the 1100 block of Oxford Street was also caused by linseed oil, said Chief Dong. That fire damaged part of a deck and part of a wall of a wood-shingled house.

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According to a preliminary report, the fire at Ashby Lumber caused less than $500 damage to a plastic curbside waste container, said Chief Dong.

Chief Dong added that residents should dispose of all flammables according to manufacturer instructions.

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