Rags may have spontaneously combusted, leading to fire at retirement home

A kitchen fire late Friday at a retirement home in Olympia might have been caused by rags that spontaneously combusted, according to Olympia Fire Department.

The fire was reported at 11:04 p.m. at the Colonial Inn Apartments at 3730 14th Ave. SE. Upon arrival, crews found a small fire in the kitchen of the three-story building.

Officials said the cause of the fire might have been cleaning rags in a waste container in the kitchen that spontaneously combusted and began to burn, spreading to other materials nearby. They said the fire would have been “far more serious” if there were not sprinklers in the building that activated.

No one was injured and residents were allowed to stay in the building.

Damage was estimated at $25,000.

This story was originally published January 6, 2018 at 10:04 AM with the headline "Rags may have spontaneously combusted, leading to fire at retirement home."