WHAT IS SPONTANEOUS COMBUSTION? 5 ESSENTIAL FACTS TO KNOW

Not long ago, a garage in Madison, Wisconsin, started on fire due to improperly disposed rags and painting materials. Two months earlier, a restaurant in Manhattan, Kansas, caught fire after cooking oil self-heated and ignited on soiled towels. And a month before that, a Las Vegas, Nevada home started on fire after rags covered in painting chemicals had been left outside in the sun.

1. What Does Spontaneous Combustion Mean?

The cause of each of the fires was the same: spontaneous combustion. Merriam-Webster Dictionary defines spontaneous combustion as, “the self ignition of combustible material through chemical action (such as oxidation) of its constituents.”

2. How Does Spontaneous Combustion Occur?

According to the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA), an estimated 14,070 fires occur annually from spontaneous combustion. Not surprisingly, laundries are a common place where spontaneous combustion can occur. In fact, 25% of fires in mercantile or business properties occurred in laundry or dry-cleaning facilities, according to the 2011 NFPA fact sheet, or about 316 fires annually.

3. What Is the Fire Triangle? Understanding Self Combustion

Tony Berton, regional field service manager of Alliance Laundry Systems and chief safety officer with the Ripon, Wisconsin fire department, said the following conditions—fuel, an oxidizing agent and a heat source—must be present for spontaneous combustion to occur and fire to break out. Those conditions are known as the Fire Triangle.

4. How Is Spontaneous Combustion Possible?

Two factors must be present for spontaneous combustion to occur: Fuel and oxidation.

• Fuel can be clothing, towels, rags or other materials that will burn, especially if they retain
  traces of contaminants like cleaning products, oils and fats.
• Oxidation is a process involving the reaction of combustible material with oxygen, leading to
  heat release, and an oxidizing agent is a substance that oxidizes another item.

The more flammable and densely piled the material, the greater the risk of fire

5. How Do You Prevent Spontaneous Combustion?

Spontaneous combustion isn’t usually an equipment issue. It’s a process problem. For example, a towel used to wipe up a cooking oil spill might ignite with heat, if it wasn’t properly washed, and retains residual oil. Luckily, careful cleaning with high-quality washers and dryers can make all th difference.

Poorly cleaned materials that have been exposed to flammable chemicals have been the root cause of fires for centuries. The first recorded instance was in 265 AD when a Chinese philosopher documented a “calamitous fire” initiated by self-igniting oil. The famous author Jack London lost his home in 1913, due to the spontaneous combustion of linseed oil-soaked rags.

Understanding the factors that lead to spontaneous combustion—like improper cleaning and the key facets of the Fire Triangle—will help you better implement effective preventive measures in your laundry facility. Staying informed about the self-combustion process not only protects your property—it helps ensures safety for all.