Dead plant starts fire at Arkansas home

Jonesboro - A decomposing plant, combined with soil and a plastic flower pot, created enough heat to start a fire at a home in Jonesboro, Arkansas.

Fire investigators said spontaneous combustion was the cause of the fire, which resulted in about $20,000 in damage to the house. "It looked to me like someone had come up on my front porch and started a fire," said home owner Brian Duncan, in a KAIT8 interview. Glass in the front door to broke and smoke entered the house, causing further damage. A hole was charred through the floor of the deck and what Duncan called a “charred root ball” was underneath. "Spontaneous combustion is something where you have to have a lot of variables come together and it has to be just right," Jonesboro Fire Marshall Jason Wills told a KAIT8 reporter. He said it can happen when organic material is decomposing, but is rare. Duncan, who had to repaint and repair flooring, wants to warn people that dead plants can be a fire hazard.