Firefighters were called to a home in the 2300 block of Main Street in Forest Grove on Saturday afternoon when neighbors noticed smoke coming from the roof of the home. When fire crews arrived just after 12:30 pm they found light gray colored smoke coming out of the roof vents and from under the eaves. No one was home at the time, so firefighters from Engine 421 had to break a door down to get into the home and they were quickly able to locate and contain the fire that was burning in a hall closet of the 1940's era home.
Firefighters from Cornelius Fire Department Squirt 8 cut a hole in the roof of this home to help remove the smoke that was in the attic of the home.
The homeowners told fire investigators that they had smelled what they thought was something burning in the home off and on for the last week and had tried to determine what the cause of the burning smell was earlier in the day. They looked throughout the house but were unable to find the cause of the smell and by then the smell had dissipated and they had to leave for work. All of the while the fire was burning deep at the bottom of a hallway closet where some kitty litter and wood chip type pet bedding was stored in a plastic bag. Investigators believe that this kitty litter and pet bedding material had spontaneously combusted on it's own and that this naturally occurring process was accelerated because the materials in question were stored in direct contact with hot water pipes in a shut closet. The combination of the heat from the hot water pipes as well as the poor ventilation from the closet caused the material to decompose which naturally generates heat. In the un-vented closet this heat had no place to escape so it eventually built up enough that the material caught fire and spread to some camping equipment and other materials in the closet.
The closet where fire investigators found the cause of the fire
"No one did anything wrong here, but our safety message is that no matter how simple you think something like this is please call 9-1-1 and let us investigate it" said Forest Grove Fire Marshal Dave Nemeyer, he goes on to say: "Often times we find small fires like this that smolder in hidden areas and even though you may see nothing out of the ordinary we have special tools and cameras that can detect even the slightest difference in temperature. Our thermal imaging cameras will even enable us to look inside walls, above ceilings, and under floors to see if a fire is burning there."
Twenty-five firefighters responded to the blaze including fire crews from Cornelius and Hillsboro to assist in extinguishing the fire. Even though no one was home at the time, the family cat perished from apparent exposure to smoke and toxic gasses that are produced when a fire burns inside a home. To keep the fire crews safe, Forest Grove Police Officers closed Main Street for over two hours during the fire because firefighters were working in the roadway and had people attempting to drive through the emergency scene. Fire investigators believe that the fire caused over $20,000 in damages to the home and contents.
