Rag Fire Extinguished in Columbia

A small fire in a kitchen trash can at a home near the 7000 block of Sandalfoot Way was extinguished by firefighters after residents called 911 when their carbon monoxide detector began sounding on Tuesday evening.

Fire officials reported the homeowner had thrown stain-soaked rags into the kitchen trash can the previous evening. The oily rags were the likely cause of the fire, according to a spokesperson for the Howard County Department of Fire and Rescue Services.

Fire officials reminded residents to properly dispose of oily rags to prevent the possibility of spontaneous combustion.

"In this case, the resident was lucky that the fire was caught so quickly," wrote Marc Fischer, a spokesperson for the fire department, "but the results could have been catastrophic."

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