Firefighters battle the blaze last Friday on Spragueville Road.

ANTWERP -- Investigators have determined the cause of the fire last Friday night at 41674 County Line Road was a result of spontaneous combustion caused from items in a garbage bag, according to St. Lawrence County Fire Investigator Joe Lacks.

Items in the garbage bags contained sponge paint brushes, paper towels and cleanup items from varnishing pine boards. The bags were set in the rear room of the house where the fire started around 6 p.m. that evening, Lacks said.

The home belonged to Vernon L. Phillips and Bonnie Roberts. They are best known in the area as playing Santa Claus and Mrs. Claus during holiday events, he said.

Four family cats and a dog were rescued by firefighters but one cat later died.

The home was reportedly heavily damaged.

Firefighters from Antwerp, Gouverneur, Oxbow and several other departments fought the blaze for about 4 hours, Lacks said.

The couple lost most of their belongings to fire, smoke and water damage. Those interested in helping the couple can call 315-921-5061.

The home was reportedly insured.

Fire officials stated that staining and varnishing wood or other items can be dangerous if brushes, cloth or paper towels are not properly disposed of.

Lacks said varnish and stains of organic material can spontaneously combust and ignite a fire if they are compacted and not placed outside to release vapors. Being compacted will cause these material to generate heat and eventually ignite. Much like a bail of wet hay.

Consumers are urged to read the safety directions on each can of these cans. They are usually in fine print where it is hard to read. Thousands of fires are related to spontaneous combustion each year, he said.

For more about the fire, see story or story .