Rags soaked with linseed oil blamed for Belleville fire

Firefighters were able to save a metal building near Eckert’s Orchard in Belleville from an early morning fire Tuesday.

Flames erupted at around midnight in the former Weil-Lombardo Trailers building at Illinois 15 and Green Mount Road.

“We arrived at 12:03 a.m. and found heavy smoke coming from both ends of the building,” Belleville Fire Department Chief Tom Pour said. “We had to force entry to the building where we found fire on both side of an interior wall.”

Pour said it was discovered that the blaze was started by rags soaked with linseed oil that spontaneously combusted. The rags were in a plastic trash barrel. The fire quickly burned through a barrel, penetrated the interior wall and were headed for the loft area of the building when firefighters cut them off.

“People need to pay attention to the directions when using petroleum products or otherwise handling greasy rags,” Pour said. “If they’re not handled properly, this is the kind of thing that can happen.”

Pour said the building, was sold several years ago when Weil-Lombardo moved to U.S. 50 in O’Fallon. It is currently used as storage for a company that rehabs and sells antiques. The linseed oil was apparently being used to strip furniture stored in the building, Pour said.

According to fire department reports, the damage was estimated at $30,000. Power was disconnected from the building because of the fire. But Pour said it should be in good enough shape to get the electricity turned back on and to be occupied as soon as the fire debris can be cleaned up.

This story was originally published July 14, 2015 at 12:26 PM with the headline "Rags soaked with linseed oil blamed for Belleville fire."