(edit title) Birch bark fire Can it spontaniously combust? Options

[roodkapje]

That is my question. when it is in an ikea bag? I woke up to a fire this morning, thanks to fire alarms and an extinguisher I could put it out.
Still in shock.

[johnjohn]

Not very likely. I have seen oil soked rags spontaneously combust as well as piles of damp grass. Just can't imagine birch logs but stranger things have happened like spontaneous human combination. Calling Trowbridge!

 

 

[Puffin]

Is it "pure" logs or bark or are we talking about a bark firelighter product that has been soaked in something?

[roodkapje]

:-)It were not logs but pieces of dried curled up birch bark. a whole ikea bag full. I know about rags and oils.

[skogsbo]

sounds curious, agree it's one for trowbridge, ever worked for the intelligence services?

...anyway... birch bark does burn very easily and quickly, no problems lighting it off a match in seconds, but not sure where the source of ignition could come from. Do you have very old windows that have sunken and bubbled glass, that could act like a magnifying glass? It's a puzzler.

[roodkapje]

I know enough now, I was hoping it could spontaniously ignate, now that's unlikely, I know the cause.

[johnjohn]

Sounding more plausable. Compost can get hot enough to spontaneously combust as in grass clippings. A rich oxygen environment greatly helps like on a cold dry day. If you bark was composting and lets say exposed to an outside draft I believe it is possible.

[johnjohn]

I know enough now, I was hoping it could spontaniously ignate, now that's unlikely, I know the cause.

Using the creme brulee torch while imbibing?

[skogsbo]

I know enough now, I was hoping it could spontaniously ignate, now that's unlikely, I know the cause.

exploding light bulb?
throwing cigarette ends across the room?
child playing with matches?
experimenting with incendiary timers?

[johnjohn]

Trying to duplicate crazy Swede's homemade kitchen nuclear reactor?

[skogsbo]

Trow's space laser?

I think the Op at least owes us the whole story.

[Svensksmith]

In my 30 years of being a sloyd instructor I have never had any wood chips, shavings or anything like that spontaneously combust. The one and only time I had a case of spontaneous combustion was when a kid left a linseed oil soaked rag out on a workbench and I failed to notice it. Of course there was a school board meeting that night and the superintendent of schools smelled the smoke. Thank God for tenure.

[Puffin]

Trow's space laser?

[Bender B Rodriquez]

:-)It were not logs but pieces of dried curled up birch bark. a whole ikea bag full. I know about rags and oils.

Did it come from a workshop? In that case it may have been exposed to linseed oil which is a source of spontaneous combustion.