Massage parlour blaze blamed on hot towels

Massage oil and hot towels were a recipe for spontaneous combustion at a sex club.

Albany fire crews were called to Vamps Gentleman's Club just before 11am on Tuesday.

Station officer Martyn Baker says workers washed the towels and put them through a hot dryer then folded them straight away.

Oils left in the towels, which were in one of the massage rooms, reached ignition point and spontaneously combusted, he says.

Mr Baker says their saving grace was that the door to the room was closed so the oxygen burnt out quickly.

Vamps owner Lisa, who does not want her surname published, says she arrived in the morning to find the alarm ringing and a smoke-filled massage room.

She rang her husband and told him to call the Fire Service while she ran to the neighbouring Albany fire station for help. Mr Baker says if the alarm was monitored they could have got to it quicker as it could have been smouldering away for hours.

Mr Baker says there are three safety messages to be learnt from the incident.

Never hesitate and always call 111 straight away

Keep doors closed if the room isn't being used or you're out

Learn about spontaneous combustion.

Mr Baker says it's important to let towels cool properly before folding and storing them away.

If you're using oily rags around the home make sure all the oil is removed properly or throw them away and use new ones, he says.

Lisa says she didn't realise that a fire was possible in those circumstances. They always put the towels through a hot wash but some of the oil remains, she says.

From now on they will wait until towels are fully dry before folding them and they will look at how to get all the oil out of them.

- © Fairfax NZ News