According to the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), all mattresses are extremely flammable. A mattress can get engulfed in flames in as little as three minutes. To illustrate the point, the CPSC put mattresses to an open flame test. Within three minutes, the high flames proved how flammable typical mattresses can be. A Washington couple is lucky as they woke up when their bed was producing toxic smoke. Within hours it was completely burned even though the husband doused it with a couple of gallons of water. There's no stopping a burning bed.
In this case the couple had a memory foam mattress. The memory foam mattresses may not catch fire any easier than other mattresses, but industry sources say that because the material is so much denser, they may be harder to put out once it starts burning.
The likely culprit is the beanbags. When heated they provide pain relief for aching bones and joints. By micro-waving the beanbag over and over, the beans decompose, eventually enough to start a small smoldering fire inside the bag.
Once the fire started, the mattress likely insulated the heat from the bean bag and together with the beans and the mattress, the heat is kept in with no way to cool, so it's generating more and more heat.
These bed warmers are now so popular that most bedding stores carry several varieties, filled with everything from rice to flax seed. But they all carry warnings to follow the package directions and not to overheat them. Maureen heated her beanbags for five minutes every night.
If you use any warming device in your bed -- a heating pad, electric blanket, even a simple bag of rice or beans, know how to use it safely. Bottom line, if you use any of these bed warmers, either store bought or hand-made, use them with caution and, at a minimum, make sure you don't overheat them.
One bit of good news, because mattresses are so flammable, beginning in July, there are going to be some new protections in place for consumers. All new mattresses will have to meet new flammability standards, giving people more time to get out of the house safely.
Mattress fire almost deadly and beware of bed warmers - http://www.komotv.com/news/local/7362976.html
