Fire damages furniture store in Kitsilano

Safety warning issued after Vancouver fire A fire at a Kitsilano business has prompted a warning from Vancouver Fire Rescue Service, which says the blaze could have been prevented.

Vancouver — A fire that damaged a furniture store in Kitsilano this morning was caused when rags used to stain furniture spontaneously combusted.

Firefighters responded to a call that came in at 7 a.m. Saturday morning, said Trevor Connelly, assistant chief of operations with Vancouver Fire and Rescue. They arrived at Kits Furniture on Burrard and 8th Avenue to find smoke pouring out of the back of the business.

Firefighters forced their way in through the front door and made their way to the back of the business, where they found the source of the fire in a wood shop located at the back of the building. It took fire crews about an hour to put out the fire.

The fire started after someone working on staining furniture in the wood shop left a rag behind, and overnight a chemical reaction made the rag spontaneously combust, Connelly said.

There is no structural damage to the building, but the contents of the wood shop were damaged by fire, and the retail side of the store likely also has some smoke damage.

Connelly said fires caused by chemical reactions like this one are fairly common. In June, fire investigators found that a major fire that started on a balcony in an apartment building in the West End was caused by improperly stored linseed oil rags used to stain furniture.