Crime & Safety

Woonsocket Fire Marshal: Mendon Road Fire Caused By Oily Rags

Spontaneous combustion identified as cause of Oct. 3 blaze.

 

The Wooonsocket Fire Marshal's office reports the cause of an Oct. 3 fire that heavily damaged an optometrist's office under construction at 385 Mendon Road was oily rags left overnight.

The rags, left in a pile in a box in a doorway by a painter who was varnishing doors in the building, caught fire via spontaneous combustion, according to Fire Lt. David Degrane. 

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The call for the fire came in at 12:45 a.m., for a fire with flames showing through the roof of the building. A second alarm was called right away.

Degrane said the building, which was undergoing renovations, will need significantly more work now. He said the Fire Marshal's office will make a routine second visit to the site after repairs are made.  

Find out what's happening in Woonsocketwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

"I would like to take this opportunity to thank all the firefighters and police officers that responded to the building fire at 385 Mendon Road. I appreciate all their efforts and hard work," wrote Jeffrey Kenyon, OD, of Blackstone Valley Eye Care, in a comment on the article reporting the fire. "We are excited to begin the reconstruction process and look forward to seeing patients in the renovated building early in 2013. I thank everyone for their support," Kenyon said.


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