The West Hartford Fire Department extinguished a dumpster fire on Rockledge Drive Tuesday afternoon. [Updated, July 22]
Dumpster fire at 56 Rockledge Dr. Courtesy of West Hartford Fire Department
By Ronni Newton
A dumpster in the driveway of a Rockledge Drive home that caught fire Tuesday afternoon melted some of the siding on the home, but did not result in any extensive damage, West Hartford Fire Department Assistant Chief Hugh O’Callaghan said.
According to O’Callaghan, a “fully involved dumpster fire” was reported at 12:30 p.m. Tuesday at 56 Rockledge Drive.
Crews involved in less than four minutes, O’Callaghan said, and found a fully-involved fire in the dumpster which was full of debris from a renovation underway at the home. The dumpster was situated about 15 feet from the structure.
Some of the siding had melted, officials said, and while crews were knocking down the fire the house was searched. No one was home at the time, O’Callaghan said, and the fire had not extended to the interior of the home.
One firefighter sustained a minor hand injury, O’Callaghan said.
Deputy Fire Marshal Robert Grimaldi told We-Ha.com Wednesday that oil-soaked rags found in the dumpster were determined to have caused the fire, which was deemed accidental.
Grimaldi said that the house was temporarily vacant due to renovations that were taking place, including the refinishing of wood floors.
Oily or gas-soaked rags should be properly disposed of in metal containers with tight-fitting lids, Grimaldi said, or even in sealed plastic bags with the air removed, or in a water-filled jug.
The oily rags, along with other flammable items, appear to have been inadvertently thrown in to the dumpster, he said.
Dumpster fire at 56 Rockledge Dr. Courtesy of West Hartford Fire Department
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