May 12—A Seattle Fire Investigator determined a West Seattle vacant house fire was an accidental fire caused by the spontaneous combustion of improperly disposed of stain or paint rags.

The first 911 call came into the Fire Alarm Center at 8:05 p.m. reporting smoke from a vacant house located in the 6300 block of 36th Avenue SW. Engine Company 37 arrived to find smoke and flames coming from the basement of the backside of the home.

Initially the firefighters took a defensive position and fought the fire from the outside of the home. Once firefighters removed the plywood from the windows of the boarded up home, they launched an interior attack on the fire.

It took about 15 minutes for fire crews to control the flames and approximately an hour before the flames were completely extinguished.

There were no injuries.

The investigator determined the fire started in the basement and spread to combustible materials stored in the lower level of the house. The damage estimate is $25,000 to the structure and $5,000 to the contents.