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Mirrored Headboard Ignites Fire By Reflecting Sunlight Like Magnifying Glass
Some well-intentioned spring cleaning went very wrong in Fresno when a mirrored headboard sparked a fire that destroyed a family's carport and the car inside.The Fresno Bee reports that firefighters were called to a house shortly after 4 p.m. on Sunday and found a carport and vehicle in flames. The fire was contained by 4:30 p.m. thanks to the work of 25 firemen, but not before causing nearly $15,000 in damages, according to the Fresno Fire Department's Hector Vasquez.
According to the L.A. Times, the headboard had been resting outside by the carport as the family was doing some spring cleaning. Vasquez said the headboard "acted like a magnifying glass" and that it was "the only thing that makes any logical sense."
The scenario sounds kind of like this scene from Toy Story, but with a mirrored headboard instead of a bully, and with a carport instead of a doll:
Vasquez said that the firefighters figured it out when they were blinded by the sun's reflection on the headboard, and felt heat emanating from the mirror.
Make sure to keep safety first when spring cleaning this year.