Flowerpots in full flame
Courtesy GatheringZeroIn my continuing quest to keep the public informed about exploding household objects, I bring you the case of the exploding......FLOWERPOT house fire?! I’m sorry but of all the things that could explode, a flowerpot falls pretty low on my list of potential hazards. The St. Paul Fire Department investigator, James Novak, agrees, “It’s not like everybody has to worry that their house is going to burn down...halogen lights, smoking, candles and Pop-Tarts in a toaster--there are a lot of things higher on the priority list than a potted plant fire.” Nevertheless, the combination of fertilizer, heat and oxygen within the pot can lead to potentially unorthodox flower pot behavior. Consider yourselves warned. As for me, I think a conversation with my fern about fire safety is long overdue.
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Well. I just now got a phone call from a friend who is completely freaked out because she just walked into her garage and found a six inch flowerpot, filled with 4 calla lily bulbs and some kind of potting soil, in FLAMES on a small metal table that she keeps a few gardening objects on. This pot had apparently been sitting there for months, since the plant had died back, and were dry and waiting for someone to repot them and water them and maybe bring them back to life. She says they are scorched and the bottom of the pot is fused to the table. It was only pure chance that she walked in just in time to prevent the entire garage, cars and all, from going up in flames.
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