A multi-alarm fire that damaged a large Victorian-style home in Newton, Massachusetts, earlier this week is being blamed on oily rags.
The fire broke out late Wednesday morning at the unoccupied home at 8 Central Ave. in the city's Newtonville section. The home was undergoing renovations.
Large flames and heavy smoke were seen coming from the upper floors of the white home, as fire crews used hoses from multiple ladder trucks to extinguish the flames. It took crews several hours to extinguish the fire. Investigators determined that the fire began near the top of a staircase on the second floor, where staining rags had been left in a trash bag the day before.
“The oils in many paints, stains, and varnishes release heat as they dry,” said Newton Fire Chief Gregory J. Gentile.