The other day I wrote about fire hazards that can arise when you start storing stuff in places (such as attics) that weren't exactly built for such purposes. Shortly after that I found myself reading about a type of fire that most people don't really understand--spontaneous combustion.

People who do a lot of wood finishing, and especially those who read a lot about wood finishing, tend to know about this unusual type of fire. And the smart ones take steps to see that it doesn't become a problem in their shop or garage.

But everyone really should understand how relatively easy it can be for a fire to start in a pile of oily rags from nothing more than the heat that builds up within those rags. I've prepared a little explanation of spontaneous combustion and how to prevent it, which you can read here.

For additional suggestions on how to reduce fire from igniting in your garage or home workshop, see Garage and Workshop Fire Prevention.

Photo © House Of Sims/flickr Creative Commons

Understanding Spontaneous Combustion originally appeared on About.com Garages & Storage Spaces on Monday, February 8th, 2010 at 12:43:18.

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