Spontaneous combustion blamed for East Jackson fire
JACKSON, Tenn. — A small fire at an east Jackson restaurant is being blamed on freshly cleaned towels somehow bursting into flames. The Jackson Fire Department is calling this a case of spontaneous combustion, where pressure and a little heat cause items such as the towels used at restaurants to burst into flames. “It really is rare,” Jackson Fire Chief Max Stewart said. “He took them out hot, folded them, set them down in the basket, and came back a few minutes later and they were smoking.” Chief Stewart said the pressure of the stacked towels, mixed with the heat from the dryer, caused them to spontaneously combust. “It’s just something that makes me want to go back and do some research myself,” Stevo’s Hot Wings owner Steven Graves said. “To make sure as a restaurant owner, where I use towels, that it won’t happen here.” “The Jackson Fire Department says once your laundry ends, you should shake out your towels before putting them away. “Don’t leave them for a long time and not use them,” Chief Stewart said. “Because that’s when this could possibly happen.” Fire officials said towels used to wipe up grease and other flammable liquids in restaurants and garages are more likely to spontaneously combust than ones used at home. “You’re dealing with grease and using towels to get the grease up. So the grease is going to soak into the towels,” Graves said. “You have to spend a lot of time washing those towels.” But even when clean, officials said there is still a risk. “Get rid of them,” Chief Stewart said. “Don’t just throw them in a bucket and let them sit there. It’s not a good idea.” The fire department says another way to prevent these type of fires from happening is to use the cool down feature on your dryer so cloths and towels will not be as hot when you fold them.
