Lots of guys here have shops Figured I would pass along a very important PSA.

STORE OLD RAGS PROPERLY

We have a wood shop that I do some hobby work out of and have been painstakingly building a table in my free time for the inlaws, Yesterday my Wife and sister put on a coat of stain, and when we cleaned up we threw the rags in the garbage box. something I have done a million times before, in my wood shop, my garage and even in the home.

I don't store thinners or varsole in there and all my paint and stain is in a metal cabinet, any way this was about 1 in the afternoon when they finished up and we headed out of town. we got back around 9 and I was walking down to the shop to check on the stain see how it looked when the town fire alarm went off and shortly after I saw a guy kicking in the door to my wood shop.


turns out the stain reacted with either the rags or possible some Styrofoam that was in the garbage box and started a fire. we were very lucky that the tenants in behind heard the smoke detector and acted quickly to hit it with a fire extinguisher, didn't get it out but slowed it down enough that the fire department wasn't far behind. nothing but smoke damage and everyone in the attached apartment is fine.


very lucky. so just remember


Any chemical garbage no matter what should be in a metal fire rated container, smoke alarms and fire extinguishers save lives and in this case probably saved the building. don't take for granted something you have always done. you could have just been lucky up until now