Oil Rags Ignite Franklin Visitor Center Fire

Linseed oil-soaked rags started a fire at a Franklin construction site in the early hours of Tuesday morning.

Crews from the Franklin Fire Department arrived at the Carter House Visitor Center project around 3:24 a.m. to investigate reports of flames. The structure remains under construction, so no one was inside at the time of the incident.

Fire Marshal Andy King explained that the ignition source was internal rather than external. The rags had been used to apply stain to bookcases and interior trim. After being discarded in a trash can, the linseed oil dried and generated heat. That heat became trapped inside the pile of fabric. The material eventually caught fire on its own.

A Franklin police officer drove through the area and heard a fire alarm sounding. The officer stopped to check the location and discovered the flames inside the building. The officer reported the fire to dispatch. Because the building is not yet finished, the alarm system was not connected to a central monitoring service. The officer’s presence allowed for a quick response to a situation that could have caused major damage to the site.

Firefighters extinguished the blaze shortly after arrival. The department stated that the damage was kept to a minimum. Officials determined that the rags were improperly disposed of. They were piled together in a container, which accelerated the chemical reaction in the oil.

The Franklin Fire Department issued a reminder to contractors and residents about the hazards of linseed oil. The department noted that rags soaked in the oil can spontaneously combust if thrown away incorrectly. This risk is higher when the rags are piled in heaps or placed directly in trash cans. Officials urged anyone using the oil to follow proper disposal methods to prevent similar incidents.