Fire Hazard

Hey there. This isn’t the story I wanted to write. I wanted to write about the beautiful new kitchen transformation. One of my favorite customer’s beautiful new cabinets arrived in Just Counters & other stuff’s warehouse. But just before installation began, this happened.

Our incredibly sweet customer, Michele, discovered an awesome giveaway. She found what looked like useable bedroom furniture sitting on the curb. It was placed there for other people to possibly pick up, repurpose, and rehome. When Michele first approached the furniture, she rigorously inspected the pieces, and that’s when she couldn’t believe her trash bonanza! She took her time to look over the mid-century bedroom furniture and all the pieces appeared to be in great condition. When she realized the high quality of furniture sitting on the curbside destined for a landfill, she wanted to help the environment by reusing the discarded furniture. She phoned her husband, John. Together they couldn’t believe how the old furniture was in such good condition. John knew if he could restore the rosewood to its full glory they would have a super cool bedroom outfit. Not to mention how much money they saved with their newfound free possessions.

They learned that the super cool vintage Danish rosewood furniture was made in the 1960s by Dyrlund. Dyrlund makes some of the finest furniture with minimalist Scandinavian design. This fabulous Dyrlund roadside collection included a stunning headboard, credenza, wardrobe, and two floating nightstands.

When Michele was at the hardware store she asked a salesperson for assistance. She wanted to purchase the proper furniture polish to restore the rosewood furniture. She was told linseed oil is a great oil treatment for woods, leaving a smooth touch on the surface. Boiled linseed oil is not actually “boiled” like the name suggests, rather, it is chemically modified to encourage faster drying. Slow drying oils are a good thing, but regular linseed oil can take weeks or even months to fully cure in cold weather. Boiled linseed oil will dry in only a few days give or take depending on weather. So, she purchased a container of boiled linseed oil.

John periodically made time, depending on his work schedule, to restore the bedroom furniture in their attached garage. As soon as he used the linseed oil, it instantly revitalized the old dried wood and gave the furniture new life. You could see the gorgeous grain patterns in the wood from all angles! John worked on one furniture piece at a time in order to bring out the perfection in each piece. When he was finished for the night, he merely dropped the wadded up oily rag to the concrete floor in their garage.

One morning while John enjoyed a cup of coffee, he scrolled through his iPad. It was while he went to get his second cup of coffee that he noticed the smell of smoke in the air. That got his attention. Michele had just woken up and entered the room. “I smell smoke,” John told his wife.

In search to find out why he smelled smoke, John followed the scent. He left the kitchen and entered the laundry room. He swung open the door from the laundry room to the garage and was met with black smoke and a ball of fire. Within microseconds, the smoke engulfed the laundry room. He instantly closed the door shut. John and Michele immediately fled their home and called 911.

Within minutes after the 911 call, Deep Creek firefighters arrived on the scene. Firefighters extinguished the fire. The fire damage was confined to the garage, but there was smoke and heat damage throughout the beautiful home and attic.

The official cause, according to the fire department? Linseed oil. A firefighter stated, “You should never leave rags balled up, they will catch fire or self-combust. Homeowners should keep rags that have absorbed oils, such as linseed oil, in well-covered metal cans and make sure the rags are thoroughly dried before collection or transport.” Unbeknown to the homeowners linseed oil can spontaneously combust. Apparently combustion occurs when linseed oil is left on a cotton rag. The rag actually heats up as it dries. It’s a chemical reaction and it spontaneously combusts once it reaches its ignition temperature.

Thank goodness the homeowners were home and caught the fire in time. Flames can engulf an entire home in less than 5 minutes. The relief of no one being hurt was soon overshadowed by the loss of almost everything they owned.

But there is a positive side to this story. Neither one of the homeowners or their precious fur baby were hurt. “It’s scary. I shudder to think what would have happened if I we hadn’t woken up when we did.” Michele continued, “We had no idea that anything like this could have had happened.”

Who knew that linseed oil can do this? You learn something new every day. The salesperson who Michele spoke to at the hardware store never mentioned of the danger of linseed oil. No one told them linseed oil can combust and burn even without any spark to initiate the fire. According to the National Fire Protection Association spontaneous combustion causes more than 14,000 fires a year (More. Than. 14,000. Fires. A. Year.)! That’s why everyone should know about the materials that can cause spontaneous combustion.

This is the reason for today’s blog. John and Michele hope their story can serve as a warning to others. “I would never want this to happen to anyone else. If we can save just one person, then it’s worth sharing our story,” said Michele. Their main message? John wants everyone to understand how this could happen to anyone. He wants everyone to know more about linseed oil. He wants to make sure that this doesn’t happen to someone else.

There is a tremendous comfort that comes when you can share your hardships and experiences. Our sweetest customers wanted to share their recent tragic experience to warn others of their mistake. John and Michele felt it was so important to open up and share their story, in spite of this sad and difficult time.