One Whatcom family’s unfortunate loss in a fire is a lesson for all as laundry caused an estimated $35,000 worth of damage to the outside and attic of a home on Northwest Drive early Sunday.
“Even old fire chiefs can learn things from time to time,” Whatcom County Fire District 7 Chief Larry Hoffman told The Bellingham Herald.
The cause of the fire, Hoffman said, was determined to be a bucket of rags that had cooking oil on them that were recently washed and taken out of a clothes dryer and spontaneously combusted.
Apparently, Hoffman said, one of the residents of the house brought some towels home from a restaurant that had regular cooking oil on them. She washed them twice and dried them and found they still smelled of oil and then put them in the bucket while they were still warm.