Oil-soaked rags start fire in Fulton home

Rags that hours earlier had spread linseed oil on wood burst into flames and caused significant damage Saturday morning at a home in the Fulton neighborhood north of Santa Rosa.

The oily rags had been left overnight in a basket in the laundry room of a home on River Road east of Fulton Road, said Ron Busch, an acting battalion chief for Central Fire, which administers the Rincon Valley and Windsor fire departments. As the oil evaporated, the rags grew hot, spontaneously combusted and caught fire, Busch said.

The home’s occupants, a father and two children, called emergency dispatchers about 7 a.m., possibly after being alerted by smoke detectors, Busch said.

Two dozen firefighters from the Rincon Valley and Santa Rosa fire departments responded to battle the blaze.

The fire quickly expanded into the home’s living area and attic. It left the residence uninhabitable, and firefighters contacted the American Red Cross to help the occupants obtain shelter.

Damage was estimated at more than $150,000.