Oily rag hearth totaled $1.5 million yacht

Gig Harbor Police {photograph} exhibits hearth racing by yacht previous to arrival of fireplace crews

Here’s one which could possibly be filed below “always read the manufacturer’s instructions.” A National Transportation Safety Board report launched this week highlighed the hearth hazards of improperly saved oily rags on vessels, following an investigation right into a vessel hearth aboard a yacht final yr. It is not the first oily rag fire investigated by the company.

“On July 15, 2022​, the glass fiber hulled leisure yacht Pegasus caught hearth whereas moored on the Peninsula Yacht Basin in Gig Harbor, Wash. The hearth burned for about an hour earlier than it was reported. By the time firefighters arrived, the hearth had engulfed the aft part of the yacht. The Pegasus, valued at about $1.5 million, was declared a complete loss. No accidents had been reported.

“At 0204 on July 15,” says the report, “Peninsula Yacht Basin safety cameras first captured smoke and flames emanating from the aft part of the Pegasus. In the video, the hearth burned for about 45 minutes earlier than intensifying and spreading ahead.

“At 0302, a bystander noticed the fire and called 911. Gig Harbor Police officers arrived at the marina at 0316, followed 4 minutes later by firefighting units. The police officers found the aft half of the Pegasus completely engulfed in flames, with the fire threatening a vessel moored nearby. Firefighters laid out fire hose from a shore plug to the end of the long pier and docks. The hose was charged, and firefighting efforts commenced at 0332 from the floating docks on the starboard side of the Pegasus. Nine minutes later, a firefighting boat arrived and started fighting the blaze from the opposite side of the vessel. A second fire hose was rigged from shore and charged, with water on the fire at 0342.”

“Firefighters knocked down the flames, but the fire was persistent and continued to flare up. At 0414, the stern of the Pegasus sank with the bow rising out of the water. The bow then slowly settled as the vessel continued to take on water. The last of the fire was extinguished at 0431, when the main deck cabin was inundated with seawater.”

The NTSB says the vessel proprietor and his worker informed investigators that, on the day earlier than the hearth, they’d been refinishing wooden surfaces of the vessel utilizing a name-brand teak oil end. The teak oil was utilized to the surfaces with a brush, and extra oil was wiped off utilizing microfiber towels. The worker acknowledged that, after finishing the work, he wrapped the used towels in new towels, positioned them in a plastic bag, and left the bag below the wooden desk on the aft deck of the yacht. He and the proprietor then left the vessel between 1600 and 1700 that very same night.

According to the report, the oil end utilized by the proprietor and worker was bought in steel cans with the next warning printed on the label:

The product contained uncooked linseed oil, a substance identified to be a threat for self-heating and spontaneous combustion when soaked in rags.

PROBABLE CAUSE

The National Transportation Safety Board decided that the possible reason behind the hearth aboard the leisure yacht Pegasus was spontaneous combustion as a result of self-heating of used oil-soaked rags that had been improperly disposed of on the aft deck of the vessel.

LESSONS LEARNED

Rags soaked with oil-based finishes, that are generally used for portray and refinishing, pose a hearth hazard if saved improperly,” says the NTSB. “Because they generate heat as they dry, oily rags that are piled up, put together in a trash can, or bagged do not allow the heat to escape, creating a high risk for spontaneous combustion. To prevent a fire, users of oil-based products (or any chemical product) should carefully follow the manufacturer’s instructions for cleanup and disposal of rags, steel wool, brushes, and other applicators.”

• Download the full NTSB report