Early this morning, a fire broke out at Valley Family Church in Portage, but it was quickly contained, causing minimal damage. According to a report from WWMT, the Portage Department of Public Safety Fire Division responded to a smoke alarm activation around midnight. Initially, nothing seemed amiss from the church's exterior, but inside, firefighters found smoke permeating the building.
A church employee, who'd observed the fire through a security camera, swiftly notified authorities. The source of the blaze was located in the workshop area and was quickly extinguished using a fire extinguisher. This quick reaction helped to swiftly douse the small fire. Following an examination of security footage and an on-scene investigation by fire personnel, the cause of the fire was identified as "spontaneous combustion of materials," as reported by officials, per WKZO.
The incident originated from staining materials that were improperly disposed of before they had completely dried. Church staff had been staining wooden slats, which were then tossed into a garbage container. The retained heat was sufficient to trigger ignition, leading to the spontaneous combustion that caused the fire, according to WZZM13.
