Garage fire sparked by oil-covered rags

An Iris Place garage caught fire early Monday morning, and Costa Mesa fire officials are reminding people not to keep oily rags in enclosed spaces to avoid a similar incident.

Firefighters were called to the 2100 block of Iris Place at 12:34 a.m. because of a fire in a garage, Costa Mesa Fire Department Engineer Brent Turner said. A man and woman living in the adjacent house got out safely, and firefighters rescued a dog at the home, he said.

The man had been using linseed oil, a commonly used wood finish, and left some oily rags in a container in the garage, acting Costa Mesa Battalion Chief Fred Seguin said.

The couple heard popping noises from the garage and went to check it out, then called 911 after seeing smoke. Seguin said oily rags can ignite by themselves, as these did.

Three engines, a truck and 17 personnel responded to the scene, and the fire was put out in about seven minutes, Seguin said. In fact, it was mostly smoke.

It was the third garage fire in Costa Mesa in a week, Seguin said, though there is no connection among the fires.

Monday’s fire caused between $5,000 and $10,000 in damage to the garage.

Seguin said people should never keep rags soaked in flammable liquids indoors.

“Once you get done [with the rag], leave it outside or put it in a metal container, like a trash can, so it’ll smother itself out,” he said.