NORTH LITTLE ROCK, Ark. — After a recent incident that happened in the area, the North Little Rock Fire Department (NLRFD) has been reminding people of a little-known phenomenon.
This phenomenon is known as "spontaneously combusting laundry."
Most people are aware of the possible fire danger while clothes are in the dryer, but clothes that are piled up outside of the dryer can be dangerous too.
On September 2 at 10:19 p.m., the NLRFD responded to a call of a bad smell at a home.
"It was pungent, like oven cleaner,” said NLRFD Battalion Chief Mark Shoemaker.
"Our Engine One crew responded to the report of an odor in a home,” Shoemaker said. “It did smell of something burning."
Shoemaker explained that despite the odor, the team initially didn’t see anything wrong. However, a thermal imaging camera revealed a laundry basket that was a lot hotter than anything else in the room.
"The laundry was folded up,” Shoemaker said. “When they carried it outside and introduced oxygen from the atmosphere, that's when it started to burn more."
Shoemaker said his team got lucky.
While spontaneously combusting laundry doesn’t happen often, when it does, people usually don’t realize something is wrong until a fire has already begun.
Luckily this time around, the NLRFD was able to arrive as the laundry was in the process of catching fire. As a result, there was no damage done to the home— only the laundry.
Shoemaker said when laundry does spontaneously combust, it’s often due to a scientific process involving oil or other flammable materials on the clothes.
“It's a natural process. Oils or other ignitable liquids, when they oxidize- it's similar to the way rust is. They release electrons, and it actually produces heat," Chief Shoemaker said. "So when the laundry or any other towels or rags are folded up, it can't dissipate that heat. So it actually generates enough and can get hot enough and actually cause a fire.”
It can also happen with damp clothes— the liquid acts as an insulator, trapping heat.
Shoemaker said that the best way to prevent this is to do something we generally like to put off until later.
"Fold it and put it away,” Shoemaker said. “Don't leave it. Make sure it's dried completely before you fold it, put it away, and hang it up in your closet. Just don't leave piles of laundry lying around."
The NLRFD urges people to wash and dry clothes thoroughly if they have been in contact with any flammable oils or substances. They should also be stored in a well-ventilated area.