At Columbia Insurance we’ve seen firsthand the devastation spontaneous combustion fires can cause. While we are committed to helping restore peace of mind after the flames subside, here are insights into how these fires ignite and strategies to extinguish them before they ever start. According to the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA), each year there are more than 14,000 fires attributed to spontaneous heating or spontaneous combustion fires. We aim to raise awareness of the dangers of the oxidation process, which can occur in your place of business or home, and to provide ideas to reduce risk and increase your peace of mind. 

Spontaneous heating is the process where a material increases in temperature without drawing heat from its surroundings. According to the NFPA Handbook, if this results in a material reaching its ignition temperature, spontaneous ignition or spontaneous combustion can take place. Some materials are more susceptible to spontaneous heating, such as coconut oil, cod liver oil, corn oil, cottonseed oil, distillers dried grains (DDGS), fish oil, linseed oil, olive oil, peanut oil, soybean oil, tung oil and turpentine. 

Three conditions affect whether an oxidation reaction will cause dangerous heating:

• Rate of heat generation
• Air supply
• Insulation properties of the immediate surroundings

There are common scenarios that lead to spontaneous combustion fires. While this is unfortunate, we are here to share lessons learned in the past to help you protect your clients:

• Painting, staining or remodeling a business or residence. Particularly during the painting or staining process, individuals often use paint with natural oils, linseed oil and turpentine and then discard soiled rags in piles.
• Restaurants, bars and fast-food establishments may use natural cooking oils. Wiping up spills or cleaning equipment with rags and then discarding them in piles or the trash.
• Oil saturated rags from cooking establishments being laundered on site or sent out to a commercial laundry facility can create an exothermic reaction following the cleaning process. Occasionally rags are removed while hot from the drying process and are then folded and placed in piles. 

Ways to Reduce Risk

Common ways to reduce the potential for spontaneous heating:

• Provide metal containers with self-closing lids and store outside of the project in an area free of combustible debris, brush and organic materials.
• Discard rags properly: do not dispose of rags in cardboard boxes, trash containers or debris piles.
  Consider utilizing alternatives such as noncombustible solvents or water-based materials whenever possible.
• Store oily rags in a proper disposal container. See the National Fire Protection Association and Occupational Safety and Health Administration sites for more information.
• Dispose of and remove combustible waste daily. Check your local code for approved disposal methods.
  Ensure fire extinguishers are available at job sites in accordance with all OSHA requirements.

Remember, diligence and training help mitigate risk. 

Please dispose of rags, waste and other materials properly. Read Material Safety Data Sheets and product labels. Ingredients are listed on containers along with warnings regarding product usage. For additional tips, contact your Columbia loss control representative.

Please note, this is intended to be advisory information only and not all exposures are identified in this text. Many thanks to Whitemore Fire Consultants for sharing their expertise. Sources include the “National Fire Protection Association Handbook, 17th Edition,” and “Reducing the Risk of Spontaneous Combustion” by Mark Schaaf.