Rags used for wood stain determined to be cause of Sept. 12 house fire in North Bend

No one was injured in an early-morning fire in the 1000 block of North Bend’s Riverside Drive SE, but there was heavy smoke on the second floor.

The fire, reported at 3:18 a.m., apparently started in the attached garage of a home, said Captain Steve Westlake, Eastside Fire & Rescue spokesman. The cause was not immediately known, but Westlake said today that it was apparently caused by some rags, used to apply and clean up wood stain, that had been left in the garage.

“Any stain that is oil based can cause these fires,” Westlake explained. “They generate heat and combust under the right conditions.”

When firefighters arrived, the family, awakened by smoke detectors, were all safely outside and there were no cars in the garage. The crews attacked the fire in the garage, then checked for extension through the rest of the home and found none. They also conducted two searches of the home to be sure no one was inside.

Crews then assisted the family in venting the smoke.

Fire departments from Snoqualmie, Fall City and Bellevue also responded.