Blaze damages home

COEUR d'ALENE — A rag soaked with wood stain and tossed into trash was blamed for starting a fire that damaged a Coeur d'Alene home.

The homeowner told firefighters he stained a deck Sunday and put the rag into the garbage can. A passerby and a neighbor saw the fire as it was starting on Monday, grabbed a hose and put it out before it spread to the rest of the house, according to the Coeur d'Alene Fire Department.

The fire melted the garage can and damaged the front corner of the home by the garage.

Coeur d'Alene Fire Inspector Bobby Gonder said it's not uncommon for rags soaked with oil-based paints, stains, oils or paint thinners to oxidize and spontaneously combust.

"The best way to dispose of used rags is to let them dry before throwing them away or disposing of them in an airtight can filled with water," according to a statement from the fire department.