Fire investigators determined that a fire that damaged a multifamily home in Watertown was started by a “natural” cause.
On Thursday afternoon a three alarm blaze struck a home on Maple Street. Provisional Fire Chief Ryan Nicholson said it started outside th home.
“Our fire investigator has classified this fire as ‘Natural,’ and determined the cause to be fresh mulch which ignited from direct sunlight heating and extended to trash barrels in direct contact,” provisional Watertown fire Chief Ryan Nicholson said in a statement. “The barrels then extended to the structure.”
The Watertown Fire Department fought the fire with assistance from firefighters from Newton, Waltham, Cambridge, Belmont and Boston.
What kind of mulch could cause such a fire?