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The Straight Story

(48,121 posts) Sun Feb 10, 2013, 04:26 PM Feb 2013

Reflected sunlight sparked NJ house fire

Reflected sunlight sparked NJ house fire

PARAMUS, N.J. - Authorities say reflected sunlight apparently sparked a fire that damaged a northern New Jersey home.

Paramus Police Lt. Barbara Steinberg tells The Record of Woodland Park (http://bit.ly/XyJTqv) that sunshine coming through a second-story bedroom window apparently reflected off a mirror, which then focused a powerful beam onto a pile of clothes.

Three people were in the home when the fire began around 12:30 p.m. Saturday. They all safely escaped after noticing that smoke was starting to fill the home, but the fire damaged the bedroom and the rear area of the home.

Authorities say the fire investigation remains ongoing.

http://www.philly.com/philly/news/20130210_ap_policereflectedsunlightsparkednjhousefire.html

This is why I keep my mirrors in a mirror safe...

13 replies

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Reflected sunlight sparked NJ house fire (Original Post) The Straight Story Feb 2013 OP

Mirror safe? Duer 157099 Feb 2013 #1

Well, that and the whole Nosferatu thing. bluedigger Feb 2013 #2

What? MadHound Feb 2013 #3

Probably a makeup mirror, they commonly have a concave side that will focus light n/t Fumesucker Feb 2013 #8

Mirrors, clothes, sunshine frazzled Feb 2013 #4

The great Chicago fire started with sun and a glass bottle nadinbrzezinski Feb 2013 #6

You mean the one that started at 21:00 on Sunday, October 8, 1871? cherokeeprogressive Feb 2013 #9

Where'd you get that? frazzled Feb 2013 #12

Mirror mirror on the wall, why are you starting house fires? Happyhippychick Feb 2013 #5

How old were those 3 who were in the house, and where was Mom? . . . Journeyman Feb 2013 #7

I've used a magnifying glass (a large one) on a piece of black paper ... zbdent Feb 2013 #10

A friend's renter KT2000 Feb 2013 #11

Anyone else remember the Mythbuster's episode.... Junkdrawer Feb 2013 #13

Duer 157099

(17,742 posts)

1. Mirror safe?

Reply to The Straight Story (Original post)

Sun Feb 10, 2013, 04:27 PM

Feb 2013

Fuck it, that's why I don't have any mirrors in the house!

bluedigger

(17,086 posts)

2. Well, that and the whole Nosferatu thing.

Reply to Duer 157099 (Reply #1)

Sun Feb 10, 2013, 04:36 PM

Feb 2013

MadHound

(34,179 posts)

3. What?

Reply to The Straight Story (Original post)

Sun Feb 10, 2013, 04:40 PM

Feb 2013

Unless it was a parabolic mirror, there shouldn't have been a fire. A regular mirror doesn't concentrate light enough to heat up anything to the burning point.

Somebody is doing a sloppy job of investigation, and doesn't know their physics.

Fumesucker

(45,851 posts)

8. Probably a makeup mirror, they commonly have a concave side that will focus light n/t

Reply to MadHound (Reply #3)

Sun Feb 10, 2013, 05:02 PM

Feb 2013

frazzled

(18,402 posts)

4. Mirrors, clothes, sunshine

Reply to The Straight Story (Original post)

Sun Feb 10, 2013, 04:45 PM

Feb 2013

We have all experienced the confluence of those three things in our bedrooms before, but never gone up in flames. Something is weird here.

nadinbrzezinski

(154,021 posts)

6. The great Chicago fire started with sun and a glass bottle

Reply to frazzled (Reply #4)

Sun Feb 10, 2013, 04:47 PM

Feb 2013

cherokeeprogressive

(24,853 posts)

9. You mean the one that started at 21:00 on Sunday, October 8, 1871?

Reply to nadinbrzezinski (Reply #6)

Sun Feb 10, 2013, 05:07 PM

Feb 2013

frazzled

(18,402 posts)

12. Where'd you get that?

Reply to nadinbrzezinski (Reply #6)

Sun Feb 10, 2013, 05:46 PM

Feb 2013

The origin of the fire has never been determined, according to all the sources. Or were you just joshing me? (I live in Chicago; not that far from the site of the start of the fire, which I pass quite frequently.)