Painter’s Rags Spark Fire in North End Home
A clerk for the Northern Pacific Railway suffered painful burns while battling a fire in his own residence.
The story, cleaned up
A cleaned-up reading of the newspaper page: spelling and layout repaired, one story lifted off a crowded page. It follows the original closely but it is not a transcription. The original page is below; read it if a detail matters.
V. E. Williams, a clerk in the Northern Pacific land department, was badly burned about the hands last night in attempting to quench a fire which originated beneath the front stairs of his home, 3011 North 24th St. The fire was caused by spontaneous combustion in a pile of oil-saturated cloths, carelessly left beneath the stairs by painters who were at work in the house. Mr. Williams discovered the blaze almost as soon as it had started, and, seizing the bundle of rags, hastened to the door with them in his hands. The house was not damaged.
“The fire was caused by instantaneous combustion in a pile of oil-saturated cloths, carelessly left beneath the stairs by painters.”
Spontaneous combustion from oil-soaked rags remains a common household danger, reminding us that home safety hazards have changed little in over a century.
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