SEATTLE
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Seattle fire investigators said spontaneous combustion caused a fire inside a Ballard auto detail shop late Monday.
Firefighters responded to the shop on Ione Way Northwest at Russell Avenue Northwest just after 10 p.m.
A 911 caller reported hearing crackling and seeing black smoke pouring from the one-story commercial building.
The first firefighters on the scene saw heavy smoke coming from inside the locked business.
Crews said they found six foot flames inside coming from an area near a workbench at the back of the business.
Firefighters extinguished the flames in less than ten minutes and then used large industrial fans to clear the black smoke.
A representative of the business told investigators the building was locked up two hours before the fire was reported.
Investigators revealed early Tuesday that spontaneous combustion of rags thrown into plastic trash containers caused the flames.
The damage was estimated at $10,000 for the structure and $10,000 for the contents.
No one was hurt. No cars were damaged by the flames, but one vehicle had smoke damage.
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