HOLLAND (WHTC-AM/FM) — For the first time in all his years as a firefighter, Holland Fire Capt. Chris Tinney encountered a paper fire started by an unattended magnifying glass. (Listen to the podcast.)
Firefighters sped to a home on 47 W. 34th St.
“Our units went in to find the source of the fire,” Tinney said. “There was smoke in the structure. We searched high and low. We eventually located some burned material that was on a desk in a rear study of the home.
“We believe the cause of the fire could be a magnifying glass that was actually in front of that,” Tinney said. “It refracted the light, like a good old survival trick. The magnification of the sun’s energy ignited the papers on the desk.”
Other than the burnt papers, and a scorched desktop, there is no other damage, he said.
Tinney said no one was hurt, and it appears smoke alarms in the home alerted the residents to the fire.
Neighbors said firefighters seemed to be there in an instant. Tinney said firefighters were on the scene in about five minutes after the call for help.
