On June 1st, a house in Cape Cod, Massachusetts caught fire due to a mirror in an outdoor bathroom reflecting sunlight and igniting the wooden structure.
Firefighters from Harwich arrived at the scene around 2 p.m. and extinguished the flames engulfing the single-story house. The fire caused extensive damage both inside and outside the house, resulting in approximately $110,000 in losses.
According to the Harwich Fire Department, the fire originated in the outdoor bathroom located at the rear of the house. “We believe the fire was caused by the mirror in the bathroom. This type of incident commonly occurs in the spring,” the department’s announcement stated.
Investigators from the fire department explained that during the spring, the angle of the sunlight is lower, causing it to hit the concave mirror mounted on the outdoor wall. The concave mirror has a focusing effect, intensifying the reflected sunlight. Over time, the intensified light eventually set the wall on fire.
Fortunately, there were no occupants inside the house at the time of the fire, and no injuries were reported as a result of the incident.