Spontaneous mulch fire nearly burns home in White House

WHITE HOUSE, Tenn. (WSMV) - One Midstate homeowner is warning others after her home nearly went up in flames because of a mulch fire.

White House resident, Rebecca Albright, said her mulch caught fire on its own, then spread to her shrubs and quickly began melting the vinyl siding on her house on Thursday, June 23.

“I have never heard of anything like this happening,” Albright said.

Her neighbor, Tim Coker, remembered how extreme the hot temperatures were that day.

“It had been so hot and dry,” Coker described. “Luckily, I had a sprinkler out here in the front yard where I’d been using to water the evening before, so we grabbed all of that and drug it over here.”

Coker said a stranger driving by saw the flames, turned around, and alerted his family, who ran over to Rebecca’s house to try to put out the fire.

“I was very glad that we were we were able to help out and keep the damage from being worse than it was,” Coker said.

“Mulch can spontaneously combust,” explained Captain Shawn Railey of the White House Fire Department. “It’s an organic compost compound that can generate its own heat, ya know. With these dry temperatures, it can just ignite and very serious dangerous situation…”

Captain Shawn Railey said during times of extreme heat and dry conditions, there are some key things you should do to prevent this from happening.

“Strongly encourage people to, ya know, keep your mulch wet, keep it watered down if it’s near your home during these dry hot conditions like this,” instructed Captain Railey.

Captain Railey also said that mulch should be kept several inches away from your home. He recommends using stone or rock up close to your house.

Albright said she is forever grateful for that stranger who spotted the flames and took the time to stop.

“I’m blessed that the guy turned around,” she admitted. “…I’ve reached out trying to find out who he is to say, ‘Hey, thanks!’”

A mulch fire recently led to the evacuation of a hotel in Smyrna, as well.

Whether it is a mulch fire at your home or business, Captain Railey issued a reminder to call your area fire department, immediately, so they can thoroughly extinguish any smoldering mulch underneath the surface.

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