Six adults were displaced by a fire in their Kent home after linseed oil soaked rags self-combusted early Friday morning in the 3500 block of South 263rd Street.
A neighbor reported the fire at 3:36 a.m., according to a Kent Fire Department media release. Everyone was able to get out of the house safely.
When firefighters arrived from Kent and South King Fire and Rescue, they found smoke coming from the front of the daylight basement home. The fire started in the lower level laundry room where rags soaked with linseed oil ignited in a laundry basket.
Firefighters were able to extinguish the fire quickly though smoke damage was evident throughout the entire house.
The cause of the fire has been ruled as accidental. Red Cross is assisting the family and their pets with shelter. There were no working smoke alarms in the home.
Linseed oil is extracted from dried, ripe seeds of the flax plant. It is used as both a nutritional supplement and in painting or wood finishing. As linseed oil dries it can produce a great deal of heat, and under the proper conditions, self-ignite.
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