A 35-year-old cook from Rhode Island lost 90% of his clothes when they "spontaneously combusted" while he was sleeping.
Andrew Donaldson had gone to bed after washing and folding all of his clothes in the laundry room at his apartment complex, when he woke up at 4:00 a.m. to burning eyes, reports Newsweek. He then saw his basket of clothes on fire.
Apparently, these "freak fires" can happen when piping hot laundry is removed from the dryer before it's had a chance to cool down — especially if something in the laundry was stained with grease or oil before going into the wash.
"They remove the clothing that may or may not have vegetable oil present and stack it up while it's very hot. As it is hot, it retains the heat," said Andrew Armstrong, an expert at determining the cause of fires, via CBC News. "As the temperature rises, the chemical reactions proceed faster and pretty soon you have a fire or a smoldering condition, which can burst into open flame."
Fortunately for Donaldson, he managed to get the burning basket outside before causing too much damage, besides some burns to his fingers — and nearly his entire wardrobe.
From Newsweek:
Donaldson shared a photo of his burnt laundry to Reddit, revealing that one of the burning pieces of clothes "stuck to his finger like plastic."
Laundry can spontaneously combust when inappropriate fabrics contaminated with combustible substances such as oils, fats, and grease are exposed to high temperatures generated in a tumble dryer, the U.K.'s Health and Safety Executive warns.
Work Safe BC says that laundry that is hot and has been stacked tightly can combust, especially if stored in a flammable basket or if in a hot area, such as somewhere in direct sunlight.
Previously: New firehouse burned to the ground lacked fire alarms
