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Firefighters Extinguish Blaze at Hotel -
WBBH NBC News Channel 2 (12/30/2007) |
FORT MYERS BEACH, FL -
A popular hotel on Fort Myers Beach was evacuated Sunday because of an early morning fire. Guests
and workers of the Lani Kai Hotel were evacuated around 3:35 a.m. after billowing smoke triggered the hotel's
fire alarms. When crews arrived from the Fort Myers Beach Fire Department, they determined that
the fire started in a dryer in the hotel's second floor laundry
room. One person suffered from an ankle injury during the evacuation of the building. No other
injuries have been reported.
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Pets Perish In Suburban House Fire -
NBC 5 Chicago (12/28/2007) |
LAKE ZURICH, IL -
A dog and two cats died and a family was displaced in
a house fire caused by a clothes dryer vent system Thursday night. Firefighters
responded at 6:17 p.m. to a fire and saw smoke showing from the garage and rear of the
house, according to a Lake Zurich Fire Department release. pResidents of the home,
who contacted authorities about the emergency, were able to safely escape and the four
family members were checked at the scene for minor smoke inhalation, but were not hospitalized,
the release said. The house sustained fire damage to the first floor and garage, and heat
and smoke damage to the second floor and basement.
The home was rendered uninhabitable, but a damage estimate was not immediately available.
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Firefighters Make Daring Rescue In Meriden -
NBC 30 (12/28/2007) |
MERIDEN, CT -
Firefighters made a daring rescue Thursday night in Meriden after a fire broke out on Randolph
Avenue. The fire started in a clothes dryer
and smoke quickly spread throughout the house. Firefighters had to use a ladder to rescue
a woman from the third floor. There were no injuries, but eight
people have been displaced.
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Christmas Eve Fire Damages Home -
By John Parks - Access North Georgia (12/24/2007) |
GAINESVILLE, GA -
A Hall County home at 2964 Antioch Church Road received significant damage from a Christmas Eve
blaze. "Fire fighters arrived to find a 900-square foot structure with smoke showing from the
back of the residence,"" says Fire Marshall Scott Cagle. "The fire
appears to have originated from the back of the dryer." "The house was valued at $40,000
with $20,000 damage," adds Cagle.
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Four Dogs Die in Thornhill Veterinary Fire -
YorkRegion.com (12/24/2007) |
THORNHILL, ONTARIO, CANADA -
Four dogs died in a Thornhill Veterinary Clinic fire late
Sunday night. The fire is believed to have started in the building's basement. Firefighters
found 10 dogs in the basement, four of whom have died. Fire officials say a malfunctioning
clothes dryer caused the fire. Animals on the
clinic's upper floors were taken to various York Region homes and shelters. Damage is
estimated at $50,000 at the clinic, located just west of Yonge St. on Centre St.
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Dryer Fire Fills Downtown Jail with Smoke -
By Kevin Moran - Houston Chronicle (12/21/2007) |
HOUSTON, TX -
Smoke filled part of the Kegans State Jail near Buffalo Bayou in downtown Houston after a laundry dryer
malfunctioned at about 5:45 a.m. "The dryer caught on fire
and produced a lot of smoke," said Houston Fire Department District Chief Leonard Mikeska. "The guards
did a good job of containing the fire and the inmates were in their cells and they were never in any danger." No
evacuation was necessary, Mikeska said. One female guard who helped control the fire was being treated
with oxygen at the scene and was not expected to be taken to a hospital, Mikeska said.
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Overheated Dryer Vent Blamed For Apartment Fire -
NBC 4 Washington DC (12/17/2007) |
BURTONSVILLE, MD -
Fire investigators said a fire that displaced about 40 people at an apartment building in the Burtonsville area Sunday
was caused by an overheated dryer vent. About 85 firefighters
battled the wind-driven fire, which caused about $1 million in damage. No
injuries were reported. The fire began in a third-floor apartment in the building in the 3900 block of Blackburn Lane,
and the wind helped extend the fire to upper floors.
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Dryer Fire Damages Locker Room -
By Benjamin Hochman - Denver Post (12/17/2007) |
DENVER, CO -
The locker room is a place where fires are sparked, but this was a little
extreme. A dryer caught fire in the Nuggets' locker room
Sunday morning at 2 a.m., and the sprinkler system, soon followed by firemen and their hoses, doused the
room with water. The Nuggets were forced to use the opposing team's locker room for Sunday's
game against Portland, while the Trail Blazers dressed in the locker room used by the Avalanche's
opposing team.
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Dryer Fire Causes Scare -
By Susan L. Oppat - The Ann Arbor News (12/13/2007) |
ANN ARBOR, MI -
An early morning load of laundry started a dryer fire in a
unit of the Oakridge apartments in the 1300 block of Holmes Road, Ypsilanti Township firefighters said
today. Capt. Brad Johnson said firefighters were called to the apartment at 4:51 a.m., and were
told a bedridden woman was still inside the apartment. When they arrived, he said, there was light
haze in the building, but the woman's daughter had doused the lint
fire in the duct work with buckets of water.
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Blaze Sends Woman to Hospital -
By Noi-Noi Ricker - Bangor Daily News (12/11/2007) |
BANGOR, ME -
Fire crews removed an unconscious woman from the scene of a fire Monday afternoon that caused
the evacuation of the Hammond Street apartment building where she lived. The blaze apparently
started in a clothes dryer in the woman’s first-floor
apartment and spread to other parts of the building, Assistant Chief Scott Bostock said from the
scene. All five apartments in the building were evacuated. "The smoke was pouring
out the front of the building," neighbor Joe Carter, 60, said from the scene. "She was in there with a
lot of smoke, but the cats got out." The victim looked as if she had burns to her feet and lower
extremities, and the cats were missing whiskers, Carter said. The female victim’s first-floor
apartment had fire, smoke and electrical damage mainly in the kitchen area, and the rest of the
apartments had mostly smoke damage, Bostock said.
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Middlesex Residence Destroyed by Blaze -
By Steven Pappas - Barre Montpelier Times Argus (12/5/2007) |
MIDDLESEX, VT -
Fire crews from several central Vermont towns worked into the evening Saturday to battle a house fire at 7
Government Hill Road. The blaze destroyed the old home,
which was being renovated by its new owners, who were not identified by fire officials. No one was
injured in the fire; the couple who owned the house escaped shortly after the initial call was made to 91
around 4:20 p.m. Firefighters at the scene said the blaze appeared to have
started in a dryer. When fire crews arrived, the house was
fully engulfed. Within an hour, the stubborn blaze still could be seen poking up through the roof and high
dormers. Thick smoke, visible from well down the darkened rural road, billowed from the house, as fire
crews sprayed water on the house on all sides.
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Dryer Blamed in Rockledge Fire -
By Jeff Schweers - Florida Today (12/5/2007) |
MELBOURNE, FL -
A Rockledge police officer's family was burned out of their Orange Avenue home this morning when a
dryer caught fire, Rockledge Fire Department officials
said. Investigator Greg Moore, his wife and three children got out of the house safely, but the
$200,000 house they were renting was destroyed, said
Rockledge Fire Department spokeswoman Lori Matson. At 3 a.m. firefighters were still working on
the fire, which had engulfed the home. They left the dryer running when they went to bed, Matson
said. They heard popping noises and saw smoke coming from the laundry room and garage area, she said.
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Dryer Sparks Fire -
Grand Rapids Press (12/5/2007) |
ZEELAND TOWNSHIP, MI -
A clothes dryer fire caused smoke and fire damage to a mobile home
in Logan Estates park off Riley Street. "It go really hot in there really quickly," Zeeland Township Fire Chief Gordon
VanHaitsma said. The fire was mostly contained to the laundry room of the home, but heavy smoke damage was
throughout the residence. The homeowner escaped without harm.
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Accidental Fire Damages Central Falls Home -
WPRI Eyewitness News 12 (12/4/2007) |
CENTRAL FALLS, RI -
Officials in Central Falls are ruling an overnight fire "accidental." A
dryer sparked in the basement of a home on Cowden Street around 1:30 Tuesday morning. Two
families sleeping inside were forced out into the freezing cold, and won't be able to return home for
months. Right now, The Red Cross is assisting the families.
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Dryer Fire Displaces Family of Six -
Vacaville Reporter (12/3/2007) |
VACAVILLE, CA -
A dryer fire thought to have been doused Saturday in Vacaville instead blossomed inside a wall, reappearing
an hour later with flames reaching through the second floor to the attic, fire officials said Sunday. The
4 p.m. blaze destroyed the second floor of a residence in the 900 block of Mustang Trail,
wreaked $150,000 in damage and displaced a family of
six. Apparently a man found the blaze in a dryer vent inside a wall and extinguished it. An hour
later, he found smoke in that room and flames inside the wall. He called the fire department, which
determined that the fire had destroyed the joists holding up the second floor and had climbed into the
attic. The fire was put out with the aid of fire crews from Vacaville District, California Medical Facility,
Fairfield, Dixon and Suisun District. Damage, reportedly caused
by lint in a dryer duct that caught fire in a flue, was estimated at $100,000 to the structure and $50,000
in personal property.
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Family Homeless After Fire Destroys Home -
WWBT NBC 12 News (12/3/2007) |
RICHMOND, VA -
One Henrico family is homeless after a fire destroyed their
home on Squire Road yesterday. Investigators say the
fire started in a dryer on the basement level of this house and then spread, causing some damage
to the upper floors. Four people were inside at the time, but everyone got out safely. One person
was treated for minor injuries at the scene.
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Laundry Fire Damages Condominium Unit -
Burlington Free Press (11/30/2007) |
HARTFORD, VT -
A fire in a stackable washer/dryer unit damaged a condominium unit in Hemlock Ridge, but
residents of the affected building evacuated safely, fire officials said. Marilyse de
Boissezon Hamm discovered the fire in the
dryer and dialed 911 to report it. A smoke alarm sounded and her neighbor,
after being notified of the fire, grabbed his fire extinguisher and shot the retardant into the
laundry closet from the door before evacuating. Fire Captain Raymond Bushey
credited quick notification of the fire department and quick use of a fire extinguisher
with limiting the fire and smoke damage.
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Dryer Fire Damages Three Townhouses -
Bridgewater Courier News (11/28/2007) |
FAR HILLS, NJ -
A dryer fire today damaged at least three Far Hills
townhouses, Far Hills-Bedminster fire fighter Brian Wilde said. Police arrived
and used a fire extinguisher to put out the blaze. The fire re-ignited and set off
the sprinkler system, Wilde said. The sprinkler system prevented the blaze from spreading
elsewhere in the townhouse, he said. Moments later, fire fighters arrived and were able
to extinguish the blaze with a hose, Wilde said. The unit where the fire occurred, as well
as adjoining units suffered water damage, he said.
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Dryer Possible Cause for Apartment Fire -
WTVQ Action News 36 ABC (11/28/2007) |
LEXINGTON, KY -
For the second time in as many days residents are forced out of their homes because of an apartment
fire. Investigators tell Action News 36 the fire started in the laundry room near the kitchen. Fire
fighters say the fire doesn't look suspicious and more than likely started
in the dryer.
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Fire Forces Evacuation of Losson Road Aspire Site -
Cheektowaga Times (11/27/2007) |
CHEEKTOWAGA, NY -
A fire in a clothes dryer forced the evacuation of an
Aspire facility on Losson Road Tuesday evening. The fire, reported around 9:05 p.m., was
contained mostly to the dryer and surrounding area by South Line firefighters. All persons in the
facility, formerly known as Western New York United Cerebral Palsy Association, were evacuated
without injury. Forks and Doyle firefighters were assisting at the scene.
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Fire Destroys Garage -
Greeley Tribune (11/26/2007) |
PLATTEVILLE, CO -
A late-night fire Sunday caused extensive damage to a Platteville garage, and the probable
cause is a malfunctioning clothes dryer. The fiire was reported at
about 9:45 p.m. Sunday. Platteville firefighter Russ Kissler said two cars inside the garage were destroyed, but the
firefighters were able to stop the fire before it spread to the outsiide walls. Kissler said 18 volunteer firefighters
responded to fight the fire, and none was injured.
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Clogged Dryer Vent Causes Fire -
By Bill Johnson - Motherload News (11/26/2007) |
MURPHYS, CA -
A clogged dryer vent has been listed as the cause of that Saturday
fire at 350 Wyldewood Drive in Murphys. CAL FIRE officials have found there was damage to
the majority of the two story single family residence and the deck all due to lint from the dryer clogging the
vent. Eight engines and a water tender responded to that blaze at 4:56am.
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Columbia House Fire Causes $75k in Damage -
By Logan Smith - WIS TV Channel 10 News (11/24/2007) |
COLUMBIA, SC -
Fire officials say a Columbia house caught fire Saturday afternoon, causing several thousand dollars worth of
damage but not injuring anyone inside. Fire Chief Aubrey Jenkins says the fire started at 2:20pm. It
took about 30 minutes to get the fire under control. Jenkins says the
fire, which was started by a clothes dryer, caused about $75,000 in damage. There were four
people at home at the time the fire started, but Jenkins says everyone made it out safe.
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Tumble Dryer Causes Fire -
By Jane Bruccoleri - Croydon Guardian (11/23/2007) |
CROYDON, ENGLAND - UK -
Two fire engines from New Addington were called to a period cottage in Shirley yesterday when a faulty
tumble dryer led to a fire in a cupboard. The
under-stair cupboard was destroyed by the fire at the five bedroomed home in Pine Coombe. A
spokesman for New Addington fire station said there was also light water damage to the hallway following
the fire which occurred at around 6.20pm.
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Dryer Fire Damages Antioch Home -
By Matthias Gafni - San Jose Mercury News (11/20/2007) |
ANTIOCH, CA -
Firefighters quickly contained a one-alarm dryer fire to the garage of an Antioch home this afternoon. Contra
Costa firefighters responded to the blaze at 4859 Knollcrest Drive at 3:26 p.m., said Battalion Chief Tim Palmer. The
owner called in the fire and escaped the two-story home without injury. The
fire originated in the garage dryer due to lint build-up, Palmer said. The chief estimated
damages at $30,000 to the structure and $20,000 to its contents, mostly
due to significant smoke damage to the house.
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Fire Damages Stoughton Home -
Brockton Enterprise (11/20/2007) |
STOUGHTON, MA -
A clothes dryer may have started a two-alarm fire today that heavily damaged the basement of a home at 258 Central
St., firefighters said. A family of five got out of the ranch-style home uninjured, firefighters said. Flames
were showing through the basement windows when firefighters arrived shortly after receiving a 911 call at 6:24 a.m. The
blaze was confined to the basement and under control within 30 minutes, Deputy Fire Chief Mark Dolloff said. Other parts of
the building were damaged by smoke. A preliminary investigation indicated that the
fire may have been sparked by a clothes dryer, which was running at
the time, Dolloff said.
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Dryer Fire Causes $4,000 Damage -
The Sheboygan Press (11/14/2007) |
SHEBOYGAN, WI -
A fire that started in a dryer this morning did $4,000 damage to a
north-side home but injured no one, according to the Sheboygan Fire Department. Wanda Williams noticed a
strange odor coming from the basement about 7:45 a.m. and went downstairs to discover towels in her dryer
were on fire, said Shift Commander Jeff Hermann. Thick black smoke was coming from the front door
and basement windows by the time firefighters arrived, Hermann said. The dryer was destroyed, and
the home sustained smoke damage throughout, Hermann said.
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Appliance Spark Washington County Fire -
By Heather Keels - Hagerstown Morning Herald (11/13/2007) |
HAGERSTOWN, MD -
An appliance sparked a fire that damaged a Washington County house this week, the Maryland State Fire Marshal’s
Western Regional Office said. The fire started at about 6 p.m. Sunday when a buildup of
lint in a dryer’s vent pipe ignited in a house in Maugansville, Deputy
Chief State Fire Marshal Jason Mowbray said in a news release. The lint fire then spread to nearby combustibles
in the crawl space, Mowbray said. Allowing lint to build up or keeping flammable materials too close to dryers is
a common cause of fires, Mowbray said. He recommends checking the lint collector on the dryer each time it is
used and periodically moving the dryer and disconnecting the vent pipe to make sure there isn’t any lint built up inside.
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House Fire in West Ashley -
WCSC - Live 5 News CBS (11/12/2007) |
CHARLESTON, SC -
A dryer appears to be the cause of a house fire in West Ashley
that left a family homeless over the weekend. The fire destroyed the
home on Evergreen Street on Sunday. It took firefighters more than 15-minutes to put out the
flames. Nobody was hurt but firefighters say there's extensive smoke damage.
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Clothes Dryer Fire Forces Family Out -
WHIOTV - 7 News (11/9/2007) |
RIVERSIDE, OH -
A Riverside family tried to dry a load of clean laundry and started a fire. The family was home at the time
and saw smoke coming from the laundry room. Fire investigators said the
dryer had caught fire. Fire officials said everyone managed to get out of the house safely. They said
there was a lot of smoke in the basement. Firefighters had to ventilate the house to the get the smoke out.
Damage to the structure is estimated at $15,000.
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Fire Forces Evacuation of 700 Occupants -
By Audrey Dutton - Maryland Gazette (11/7/2007) |
CHEVY CHASE, MD -
About 700 occupants of an apartment and office building in Chevy Chase were evacuated early this
morning after a fire set off two fire alarms. No evacuees were injured, but two firefighters
suffered minor injuries, according to Montgomery County Fire and Rescue Services.
A dryer caught fire around 3:30 a.m. Firefighters
responded to two alarms and found smoke traveling to upper floors of the 16-story mixed office and
residential building. Damage to the building was estimated at
$400,000 according to Fire and Rescue officials.
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Dryer Fire Forces Family from Home -
By Paul Szaniawski - The New Jersey Times (11/7/2007) |
PLAINSBORO, NJ -
A dryer fire filled a Tennyson Drive house with smoke, rendering it uninhabitable leaving its family homeless Tuesday,
officials said. When firefighters and EMS units arrived at the Plainsboro home, they discovered it filled with
heavy smoke that emanated from the laundry room. A clothes dryer
caught on fire. The dwelling's occupants safely escaped the smoke and flames without injury, police
said. The single family home was ruled at least temporarily uninhabitable
because of smoke contamination and a pending investigation of the gas and electric services.
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Milan Family Burned out of Home, Dryer Blamed for Blaze -
By Amanda Hamon - The Ann Arbor News (11/3/2007) |
MILAN, MI -
The home of a Milan family was heavily damaged when a laundry room fire tore through it Saturday morning, Milan
fire officials said. Firefighters responded to the home on the 16000 block of Sherman Road,
said Bob Stevens, assistant fire chief. No one in the family of seven was injured, Stevens said, but the
house is uninhabitable. A dryer in the laundry room is the suspected
cause of the fire.
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Clothes Dryer Burns in City Home -
The Sheboygan Press (11/2/2007) |
SHEBOYGAN, WI -
A dryer fire on the city's south side Wednesday night filled a
house with smoke but did no damage to the home and injured no one, according to the Sheboygan Fire
Department. The fire was reported about 9:50 p.m. at 2925 S. 15th St., Shift Commander Jeff Hermann
said in a press release. A build-up
of lint inside the machine is believed to have caused the fire, Hermann said. The damage to the dryer is
about $500.
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Clothes Dryer Starts Blaze in Home -
The Express Times (11/1/2007) |
HACKETTSTOWN, PA -
A clothes dryer ignited a small fire Tuesday night in the
rear of a Maple Avenue home, town police report. Patrolman Brian Ficarra was on patrol when he
noticed smoke about 6:50 p.m. He checked and fount the rear of the Lucero residence on
fire. Ficarra radioed the fire to dispatchers and then evacuated the house, police said. Town
police Sgt. James Macaulay and Patrolman Sean Stone extinguished the fire using two garden
hoses. Hackettstown Rescue Squad members checked the homeowner, who declined medical
treatment, police said.
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Dryer Burns in City Home -
Sheboygan Press (11/1/2007) |
SPRINGFIELD, MA -
A dryer fire on the city’s south side Wednesday night
filled a house with smoke but injured no one, according to the Sheboygan
Fire Department. The fire was reported about 9:50 p.m. at 2925 S. 15th St., Shift Commander Jeff
Hermann said in a press release. A build-up of lint inside
the machine is believed to have caused the fire, Hermann said. Hermann said 12 firefighters
responded to put out the fire and vent smoke from the home.
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Dryer Fire Causes $10,000 in Damages -
By George Graham - The Springfield Republican (11/1/2007) |
SPRINGFIELD, MA -
A cellar fire, caused by a plastic dryer vent loaded with
lint, caused some $10,000 in damages last night. Nobody was injured or displaced in the blaze
which was reported at 35-37 Sycamore St., shortly after 10:30 p.m., fire department spokesman Dennis
G. Leger said. The property is owned by Victoria Ford, Leger said.
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Wiscasset Dryer Fire Points to Safety Need -
By Greg Foster - Lincoln County News (10/31/2007) |
DAMARISCOTTA, ME -
Fire at a West Alna Road home in Wiscasset started in a dryer
vent hose on Saturday night, but thanks to quick response from local firefighters and mutual aid, the fire
was confined to the washer-dryer room. Asst. Fire Chief John Merry said fire got onto the floor a
bit and there was a lot of smoke at the Wahl residence. “There was minimal damage, but there
would have been a lot more if the owners had not been home,” Merry said. Dryer fires are becoming
a common occurrence and could very easily avoided by taking precautions, he said.
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Laundry Room Fire Damages Home, Cars -
By David L. Teibel - Tucson Citizen (10/30/2007) |
TUCSON, AZ -
A fire in South Tucson destroyed a laundry room and damaged a house and two cars Monday morning,
causing some $9,000 in damage, South Tucson's fire
chief said. A man and his wife who were in the home escaped without injury and none of 16
firefighters from the South Tucson and Tucson fire departments was hurt, said Fire Chief Larry
Anderson. The fire was caused by a clothes
dryer in a detatched laundry room about 10
feet from the house, Anderson said. Radiant heat damaged the house and two nearby cars.
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Fire Damages Condo Complex -
Saint Louis Post-Dispatch (10/25/2007) |
SAINT LOUIS, MO -
A blaze severely damaged a condominium near St. Peters
and temporarily displaced several families living in the same building last night. Diane Proffitte, 55, had
been asleep on her couch shortly after 6 p.m. when she woke up to cracking and popping sounds, said
Steve Brown, assistant chief of Central County Fire & Rescue. She found a fire in the laundry room,
and dialed 911. The unit had $50,000 in
damages. Officials suspect that the fire began in the
dryer.
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Fire Crews Battle Clothes Dryer Fire -
Sunshine Coast Daily (10/25/2007) |
QUEENSLAND, AUSTRALIA -
Noosa fire crews managed to contain a fire in the laundry of a Noosaville unit. Three crews –
two from Noosa and another from Tewantin – raced to the Weyba Road unit at 9.49am in response
to a report of a clothes dryer on fire. Firefighters
were able to stop the fire from spreading beyond the dryer, but the blaze produced lots of black
smoke. It is the third house fire to have started in a
laundry in recent months.
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Five People Displaced by Mobile Home Fire -
San Jose Mercury News (10/22/2007) |
SAN JOSE, CA -
Three adults and two children were displaced after a
single-alarm fire broke out Monday night in a mobile home, officials said. At 11:24 p.m., firefighters
responded to reports of a fire in the Village of the Four Seasons mobile home park. Firefighters
had the flames under control by 1:03 a.m. today. Initial reports indicate that the
fire was triggered by a clothes dryer in the mobile
home and does not appear to be suspicious, the dispatcher said.
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Fire Forces Evacuation at Apartment Complex -
KCEN TV NBC 6 News (10/22/2007) |
WACO, TX -
A dryer fire forced the evacuation of a Waco
apartment building Monday. Fire investigators said smoke from a fire inside a dryer activated
the building's sprinkler system, flooding several apartments. The resident of the unit where
the fire started arrived home just in time to help alert other residents. “It was just, right when
I got there, just huge fire, just coming out of it,
spilling out of it, and right after that I just knocked on everybody's door and all I had to grab
was [the dog]," resident Alexandra Moore said.
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Dryer Fire Causes High School Evacuation -
By Nick Georgandis - Katy Times (10/22/2007) |
KATY, TX -
Katy Independent School District officials took a "better safe-than-sorry" approach when news
of a fire at Mayde Creek High School broke out Monday morning. At approximately 10 a.m.,
a fire started in a dryer located in the high
school's athletic area. The school was evacuated of all students and personnel while
the fire department was called. The fire was contained to the single dryer despite giving
out a “lot of smoke” according to a KISD official, and was quickly exstinguished.
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Fire at Olivet Extinguished -
By Tamara Sharman - Kankakee Daily Journal (10/19/2007) |
KANKAKEE, IL -
A dryer fire in a laundry room filled the second floor of
the Larsen Building at Olivet Nazarene University with smoke this morning. Bourbonnais firefighters
were paged to the fire at 10:22 a.m. and arrived three minutes later. Employees put out the fire
with extinguishers, according to firefighters. Ventilation was required to clear the smoke. Two
employees were treated at the scene and released. The amount of damages is unknown, according to
firefighters.
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High School Evacuated When Fire Breaks Out -
Click 2 Houston.com (10/16/2007) |
KATY, TX -
Students at a Katy high school were forced out of their classrooms when a fire broke out
Tuesday, KPRC Local 2 reported. Katy Independent School District officials Mayde
Creek High School was evacuated when a fire
started in a dryer in the athletic area. The fire was contained to the athletic
area and quickly extinguished.
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Smoke Detector Alerts Family To Burning Home -
WKYT 27 News Kentucky (10/15/2007) |
HAZARD, KY -
A Garrard County family is safe after a fire broke out in their trailer early Monday
morning. Firefighters were called to the trailer on Rhodus Way off Kentucky
1295 just before 1:00 a.m. in Paint Lick. A woman says her
dryer caught on fire, spreading
throughout the home. Firefighters say five people were inside at the time and
all got out because of the smoke detector.
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Woman, Son Escape Injury in Fire -
The Salina Journal (10/15/2007) |
SALINA, KS -
A woman and her young son escaped unhurt Monday morning as their mobile home in
north Salina filled with smoke from a fire that
started in a clothes dryer, Salina firefighters said. Alma Garcia, 36, was
doing laundry when she smelled smoke, said Jeff Daily of the Salina Fire Department. Garcia
and her son left the home and she called 911 dispatchers from her cell phone. Firefighters
arrived to find heavy black smoke pouring out of the home.
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Students Evacuated After Fire -
Greenfield Daily Reporter (10/09/2007) |
GREENFIELD, IN -
Greenfield firefighters rushed to Greenfield-Central High School after a clothes
dryer caught fire around 2:15 p.m. Tuesday. Students were safely evacuated from the school, and
firefighters quickly extinguished the flames. No injuries were reported. Principal Steve Bryant said it
was hard to tell the extent of the damage in that area. The smell of smoke was strong after the blaze was
extinguished.
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One-alarm Fire Displaces Five Menlo Park Residents -
San Jose Mercury News (10/08/2007) |
SAN JOSE, CA -
An early morning one-alarm fire displaced five people today when a blaze ignited in the garage
and extended into their home. The flames were first reported at 6:57 a.m. and firefighters
responded, Menlo Park Fire Protection District Chief Harold Schapelhoumen said. Five fire
engines and a ladder truck arrived at the home and had the flames under control by 7:10 a.m. "It
appears that the fire started in the dryer," Schapelhoumen
said. The fire caused an estimated $50,000 in structural
damage and $20,000 worth of damage to the home's contents, Schapelhoumen said.
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Residents Relocated After Retirement Home Fire -
Local 10 Miami (10/08/2007) |
LAUDERHILL, FL -
Clogged Lint Filter In Dryer May Have Caused
Fire More than three dozen retirement home residents were temporarily
relocated after a fire in their building. Thirty-nine residents have been relocated
to another retirement home nearby while clean up begins at the Retirement Life
Center. "This is why sprinklers are so important," Lauderhill fire-rescue Lt. Jeff
Levy said. "A fire at 5:30 a.m. could have led to injury or death from smoke
inhalation in a building this size."
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Lint Ignites Bend Animal Shelter Dryer Fire -
KTVZ Newschannel 21 NBC (10/08/2007) |
BEND, OR -
A dryer caught fire at the Humane Society of Central
Oregon on Sunday, causing an estimated $25,000 damage,
but a sprinkler system contained the blaze before fire crews arrived. A lint buildup was the most likely
cause, firefighters said. No injuries were reported. Capt. Harold Springs said an investigation
found the most probable cause of the fire was a buildup of lint and debris on and around the dryer motor,
causing it to overheat and ignite the debris. The fire captain reminded everyone to keep lint traps
clean, and to check and clean all areas of dryers, including the discharge hose, several times a year.
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Laundry Home Fire Smokes out Motel -
By Jeff Dankert - LaSalle News Tribune (10/03/2007) |
HAMPDEN, ME -
A fire in a clothes dryerfilled the Super 8 Motel in
Peru with smoke, forcing guests to evacuate for more than an hour. Night supervisor Rae Smith
said she smelled smoke and found it coming from a dryer in a first-floor laundry room. Peru police
and firefighters responded at 9:51 p.m. Dense smoke forced people outside.
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Dryer Fire Destroys Mobile Home -
By Judy Harrison - Bangor Daily News (10/03/2007) |
HAMPDEN, ME -
A mobile home on North County Road burned to the
ground after a dryer fire apparently got out of control. Homeowner Marcia
Young inhaled smoke and was transported to Eastern Maine Medical Center in Bangor for
treatment, but was expected to be released, her brother-in-law Dana Jordan, 34, of Bangor
said. At the scene of the fire, Jordan said he was doing laundry at Tim and Marcia
Young’s home when Marcia Young said she smelled smoke coming from the dryer. The
assistant fire chief urged people who use clothes dryers regularly to make sure their dryer
vents and hoses aren’t clogged. Most dryer fires start because vents are clogged with lint,
he said.
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Dryer fire reported at Humane Society -
Sioux Falls Argus Leader (10/03/2007) |
SIOUX FALLS, SD -
Five Sioux Falls Fire Rescue units with 18 personnel responded to a fire at the Sioux Falls Humane
Society Tuesday night. Units were dispatched to 3720 East Benson Road at 9:50 p.m. for a
smoke alarm going off. When units arrived on the scene they reported smoke in the
building. The bedding materials in a dryer were
on fire in the laundry room. The back hallway was filled with smoke, but fire
damage was contained to the interior of the dryer. No animals were injured in the incident.
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Home Destroyed After Fire in Clothes Dryer -
By Shruti L. Mathur - Asbury Park Press (10/02/2007) |
TOMS RIVER, NJ -
A home was destroyed Monday afternoon
by a fire that appears to have been started by a
clothes dryer, police said. The fire, which started around 4 p.m., also damaged
the exteriors of homes adjacent to 3167 Sterling Drive, Sgt. Michael Brosnan said. Officers
evacuated neighboring homes because of heavy smoke conditions. The resident's 911
call indicated that she thought the fire started in the
dryer, said Brosnan, who said that preliminary investigation confirms it most likely
started in the laundry area.
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Dryer Fire at Home Burns up Breezeway -
Redding Record Searchlight (10/02/2007) |
REDDING, CA -
A late Sunday night fire that started in a clothes dryer caused
about $20,000 in damage to a Loma Street house and garage, said an official with the Redding
Fire Department. The fire, which spread from the dryer to shelves above it, burned through a
breezeway that connected the house to an outdoor garage. It eventually spread to part of the
house's attic and portions of the garage.
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Dryer Fire Leaves Mother, Daughter Homeless -
By Colin Hickey - Kennebec Journal / Morning Sentinel (9/26/2007) |
ST. ALBANS, ME -
A mother and daughter are homeless after a fire caused by a
dryer destroyed their home, St. Albans Fire Chief David I. Crocker said. Crocker said the
home, a wood structure less than five years old, was too far gone to be saved. He said an
investigator from the Fire Marshal's office determined that a faulty dryer caused the fire. Crocker
said the machine had apparently been left on. "I've been to too many dryer fires," he said. "I
turn it off myself before I go somewhere. I'd rather leave the clothes wet." Crocker said
firefighters did not find evidence of the family's cats.
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Dryer Fire Destroys Home -
WNEP Channel 16 ABC (9/24/2007) |
SCRANTON, PA -
A dryer fire ripped through a mobile home in Luzerne County Sunday
night. A teenage girl was in the home when the fire started about 10 p.m. She got out safely but
the home and nearly everything inside were destroyed. The girl,
who wasn't identified, lived in the home with her father. He is in the hospital in Hershey. The girl is staying
with relatives.
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Dryer Catches Fire at Local Care Facility -
Columbia Daily Tribune (9/19/2007) |
COLUMBIA, MO -
A commercial clothes dryer caught on fire early today at
a residential care facility and caused about $20,000 in damage,
the Columbia Fire Department said. Enough heat was generated by the fire to activate a single sprinkler
head. Only one resident was displaced because of a water leak, the news release said. The fire
was contained to the laundry room, but water damage occurred in another area because of the failure of a water pipe.
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Fire Damages Store, Dryer Blamed for Igniting Plaza Roof -
By John Pirro - Danbury News Times (9/18/2007) |
DANBURY, CT -
A fire that started in a dryer vent ignited the roof at the Hub
Plaza, sending billows of dark smoke skyward and forcing the evacuation of several businesses. "For
a few minutes, it looked spectacular," Bethel Fire Chief Pete Holmberg said. But once firefighters got
onto the roof, they quickly knocked the flames down. Holmberg said the fire apparently started in a dryer
vent for the Hub Tub Laundromat, which is in the middle of the plaza, and the flames ignited the flammable roofing
material. Several businesses, including the laundry, remained closed after firefighters left the scene.
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Tumble Dryer Causes Fire -
The Town Crier (9/17/2007) |
NORTHHAMPTON, UK -
Firefighters were called to a house fire in Offord Cluny after a tumble
dryer overheated. The incident saw severe damage
caused to the room and smoke damage to the rest of the house. The family only had one smoke
alarm in the house and were alerted by firefighters that they should have a working smoke alarm on each floor.
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Hero Rescues Family from Blaze -
By David Searle - The Redditch Advertiser (9/17/2007) |
REDDITCH, UK -
A FAMILY was saved from possible death after an heroic man used a ladder to get them out of their burning
home in Woodrow. The ground floor of a house in Cropthorne Close caught
fire after a tumble dryer overheated on Sunday. Upstairs was a mother with her two teenage children
and another teenager who was visiting. Simon Guy, who lives in nearby Bushley Close, became aware of the
fire and got out a ladder that he propped up next to a window of the house so those inside could get out.
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Teen, Neighbor Credited with Dousing Laundry Room Fire -
By Mark Arner - San Diego Union Tribune (9/13/2007) |
NATIONAL CITY, CA -
A 14-year-old boy and his 75-year-old neighbor were credited for extinguishing a house fire
Thursday morning ahead of firefighters. Jordy Vazquez, 14, first noticed the fire behind
a dryer in the laundry room and told his mom to “get out.” He grabbed a small fire extinguisher
and sprayed it at the flames. Vazquez's neighbor, Manuel Ramos, grabbed a second extinguisher
and sprayed it, and Vazquez tried a third extinguisher. All the extinguishers spurted briefly and ran
out, without smothering the flames. Vazquez and Ramos then ran out the back door and grabbed
a garden hose and together used it to douse the flames. They put it out just before firefighters
arrived. The fire caused about $5,000 damage in the
laundry room, said Batallion Chief Randall James of the National City Fire Department. He said, it
was caused by lint clogging the dryer's vent.
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Early Morning Fire Damages Home -
WLUC TV6 Upper Michigan (9/13/2007) |
ESCANABA, MI -
An early morning fire damaged an Escanaba home Thursday morning. According to
authorities, the blaze was reported around 1:30 a.m. The blaze started in the basement,
and fire damage was contained to that area and a small portion of the first floor. There is
smoke damage through the home, but all of the
occupants got out because they were alerted by a smoke detector. The fire is believed to have
started in a dryer vent.
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Dryer Fire Destroys Home -
The Tipton Conservative (9/12/2007) |
TIPTON, IA -
A fire, which began in a clothes dryer, destroyed a home
southeast of Mechanic-sville and sent one person to the hospital for smoke inhalation. Tipton Fire
Chief John Miller said Jessica Massey, 20, was taken to Mercy hospital in Iowa City by the Tipton
ambulance. Two other people inhaled smoke and were examined at the scene. Miller
said the home was a total loss.
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Firefighter Injured At Scene Of House Fire -
WHIO TV 7 Dayton (9/11/2007) |
CHRISTIANSBURG, OH -
Authorities said a firefighter was injured overnight as he was preparing to put out a house
fire. Firefighters in Christiansburg were called to a house on Route 235 around 11
p.m. Monday. While they were setting up a water line to put the fire out, one of the
firefighters was hit by a passing car. The firefighter was taken to Mercy Hospital in
Springfield with non-life-threatening injuries. Firefighters said the
fire started in a dryer in the house.
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Fire in Flats -
By Colleen McDonnell - TheRrichmond and Twickenham Times (9/9/2007) |
CHISWICK, UK -
A woman wearing breathing apparatus was led to safety by firefighters last week after a fire started in
the communal area below her flat. Fire crews were called to the blaze at a house converted into
flats in Bath Road, Chiswick, at 11.45pm. Firefighters rescued the woman by taking her down
an internal staircase wearing breathing apparatus. She was suffering
from smoke inhalation and was treated at the scene by London Ambulance Service crews. An investigation
revealed the fire started in the extractor fan of the homeowner's tumble
dryer. A ball of fluff which was stuck in a plastic pipe coming from the fan overheated and caught fire.
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Fire Destroys Ranch-style Home -
The Grand Rapids Press (9/8/2007) |
OVERISEL TOWNSHIP, MI -
A clothes dryer fire that escalated out of control
destroyed a ranch-style home Friday. The homeowners
managed to escape the burning home without harm and watched firefighters battle the blaze from their yard
as family gathered to offer comfort. Firefighters from Overisel Township, Hamilton and Graafschap
fought the 6:30 p.m. fire. Overisel Township Fire Chief Ron Horsting, who said flames were showing
through windows when firefighters arrived, estimated the loss at $175,000.
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Fire Linked to Dryer -
The Sheboygan Press (9/7/2007) |
SHEBOYGAN, WI -
A reported house fire south of Elkhart Lake this morning chased residents from the home, according to the
Sheboygan County Sheriff's Department.  The fire, at N7342 Birch Point Drive, was limited to a
clothes dryer in the basement, said Sgt. Bradley
Jorsch.  Several residents were home at the time, but escaped safely when the basement
began filling up with smoke, officials said.
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Neighbors Help Fire Victims Escape -
WTOL Channel 11 Toledo (9/6/2007) |
SPRINGFIELD TOWNSHIP, OH -
Some fire victims in Springfield Township have their neighbors to thank for helping them get out of their
burning mobile home. Firefighters tell us the flames
started in a clothes dryer, and spread quickly. When neighbors saw the flames,
they ran over to help. They were able to get the mobile home's residents, including eight
children and a cat, out safely. Then they attacked the fire, using a garden hose and fire
extinguisher until firefighters arrived. A neighbor suffered minor burns to his face.
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Dryer Fire Damages Nursing Home -
By Dan Sullivan - The Daily News Transcript (9/6/2007) |
NORWOOD, MA -
A dryer fire in the laundry room of a nursing home resulted in
a significant amount of smoke damage to the building yesterday
afternoon, but left patients and staff uninjured, according to fire officials. The fire at The Ellis Rehabilitation
& Nursing Center was reported to 911 at 5:14 p.m. and was extinguished about 15 minutes after the arrival of
firefighters, officials said. ‘‘The fire was confined to a dryer,’’ said Fire Chief Michael Howard. ‘‘Two
workers (of the nursing home) were evaluated by EMS, but were not transported.’’ He said there was
a significant amount of smoke damage but did not have an
estimate in dollars for that damage. ‘‘These types of facilities are considered high life hazards,’’ Howard
said. ‘‘The minute you add smoke to that, it can become very dangerous.’’
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Problem With Dryer Causes Overnight Fire -
KFOX TV (9/2/2007) |
EL PASO, TX - A Lower Valley family was lucky to make it out of their burning house in time following a
dryer fire at
10 p.m. Sunday. The fortunate thing is that they were awake at the time, so they heard the
sound of the fire and were able to evacuate. But if this would have been when they were asleep,
the story would have been a lot different. While the man and woman living in the home got out
without any injuries, they couldn't find their two pet chihuahua's anywhere. "There was concern,
because they have two family dogs that were inside the house, El Paso Fire Department spokesman
John Concha said. Fire crews were able to rescue both of them. There appears to be no injuries to the
dogs." Yet, there was $40,000 dollars in damage to the home.
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Fire Quickly Doused -
By Frank Paparo - Cape Cod Today (8/31/2007) |
CENTERVILLE, MA - Centerville, Osterville, Marstons Mills (COMM) Fire received a 911 call of a fire in house around noon
Friday. The occupants returned to find smoke coming from their home. Firefighters put out a fire
in the dryer that had slightly extended beyond the appliance, causing smoke to build up in the house. The fire
was extinguished within 15 minutes and crews ventilated the home while the family waited outside.
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Father Rescues Daughter from Smoky Home -
By John Aga - The Grand Rapids Press (8/29/2007) |
GRAND RAPIDS, MI - Once outside their smoke-filled house this morning, David and Jackie Perrin -- holding two young
grandsons -- thought everyone got out. "I said, 'Where's Becka?'" her father said, referring to their 18-year-old
daughter. Unable to see through the smoke, David Perrin made his way back through his Southwest Side home,
toward his daughter's second-floor bedroom. He found her trying to get out the window of another room, then
pulled her out of the house. Both were treated for smoke inhalation,
but were otherwise OK, said Perrin. The fire started
in the basement dryer, and ignited a pile of clothes. Firefighters estimated
damage at $15,000 to the house and contents.
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Firefighters Extinguish Laundry Blaze -
By Michael Ratcliffe - NJ Blog (8/27/2007) |
TRENTON, NJ - A woman and her four children escaped uninjured after a fire broke out in their Summer Street home. Fire
Battalion Chief Greg Gore said the blaze was caused by an excessive amount of lint
that clogged the exhaust vent of the home's clothes dryer. The lint heated up until it ignited. Flames then
spread to the clothes in the dryer and then to the woodwork of the kitchen utility closet where the dryer was located, he
said. Firefighters used fans to remove smoke from the house and cleaned up the damage sufficiently for residents
to be able to remain in the house, Gore said.
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Dryer Fire Sparks Tempe Home Blaze -
By Kerry Fehr-Snyder - The Arizona Republic (8/19/2007) |
TEMPE, AZ - A fire in a dryer sparked $80,000 in damage to
a home in north Tempe Saturday night. No one was at home at the time of the blaze. Lint
in the dryer's vents appear to be responsible for the blaze, said Phil Rohe, a senior fire inspector with the Tempe Fire
Department. The homeowner left the dryer running but returned because she had forgotten something, Rohe
said. By that time, neighbors had already reported the blaze to a 9-1-1 operator.
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Nine Rescued from Burning Allentown Apartment -
By Manuel Gamiz Jr - Allentown Morning Call (8/17/2007) |
ALLENTOWN, PA - Allentown firefighters rescued nine people, including seven children, today from the second
and third floors of an apartment on Washington Street after a fire began in the only room that had an access to
downstairs. Allentown Fire Marshal Rick Anewalt said a dryer
caught on fire in a second-floor room. The people who lived on the second and third floor
were a pair of sisters and their children, who ranged in age from 6 to 17, Anewalt said. Anewalt said
the fire was quickly extinguished, taking about as long as it took for firefighters to get ladders up to the
second floor and rescue the families.
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Family re-housed after fire damages home -
The Hunts Post (8/15/2007) |
HUNTINGTON ENGLAND, UK - A family had to be re-homed after a tumble dryer
caught on fire. The residents had been out at the time but, although crews managed to contain the fire to the tumble
dryer and utility room, the whole house was said to have been left badly
smoke-damaged and the occupants have had to be re-homed. Firefighter Martin Ockenden, who attended the
blaze, said: "Crews were alerted to the fire by an alarm in the house and luckily a neighbour had a spare key so crews
could gain access. It could have been a lot worse."
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Fire Caused By Dryer Sends Woman To Hospital -
KOCO Channel Five (8/13/2007) |
OKLAHOMA CITY, OK - A metro woman is recovering on Monday after 15
percent of her body was covered in first-degree burns. Firefighters said her
clothes dryer caused her home to go up in flames. The
fire quickly spread into the home's attic because the dryer was improperly ventilating
into the attic instead of to the outside. Firefighters had to work in 15-minute shifts to keep from
getting heat exhaustion.
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Dryer Fire Fills Home with Smoke -
Niagara Gazette (8/10/2007) |
NIAGARA FALLS, NY - At 12:57 p.m., firefighters were dispatched to a reported structure fire in the 1800 block
of Niagara Avenue. Firefighters quickly determined that the fire was in the basement and began deploying
hoselines, while other department members searched the residence for any occupants. The fire was confined
to the dryer, which had become clogged with lint and ignited. Dense
smoke filled the entire home, but fire damage was confined to the lower level.
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Dryer Fire at Health Care Facility -
Westport Now (8/9/2007) |
WESTPORT, CT - Firefighters tonight quickly doused flames in a clothes dryer at Westport Health Care--the
fourth fire in five months at the elderly health care facility. The fire department said it received an
automatic alarm from the 110-bed facilityat about 6:45 p.m. While firefighters were en route, a
staff member dialed 911 to report a fire in a clothes dryer
in the laundry room. First arriving firefighters found a smoke condition in the first floor hallway
with a blinding cloud of smoke and dry chemical extinguishing powder in the laundry room, said
Assistant Chief Gene Maloney. Firefighters shut off electric power to the dryer and
used extinguishers to quench its smoldering contents.
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Woman Wakes up to Blaze -
By Kelly Makiha - The Daily Post (8/7/2007) |
ROTORUA, NEW ZEALAND - Mereana Tuari had her pyjamas on and was having a nap in her bedroom when she woke
to hear a crackling noise. The Wallace Cres resident knew straight away the noise was coming from her laundry
and the dryer, which had been on. The dryer had caught fire. "By
the time I got to the back door, the flames were shooting out at me. I was so frightened." The
laundry, kitchen and hall were destroyed.
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Dryer in Motel Basement Catches on Fire -
Cape Cod Times (8/6/2007) |
EASTHAM, MA - Clothes in a dryer caught fire yesterday at the Town Crier
Motel, according to a fire official. The fire occurred at around 4:30 p.m. and was contained to the dryer, which was
an older model, Eastham fire Capt. Steve Burns said. The clothes were removed and extinguished. The fire filled
the basement and office with smoke, according to Burns. Firefighters ventilated the building and evaluated three people
for smoke inhalation, he said.
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Beaumont Fire Department Responds to Fire -
Texas Examiner (8/6/2007) |
BEAUMONT, TX - An apartment was reported to have a fire. The cause
of this fire was the clothes dryer. The fire was confined to the area of the dryer, but smoke did travel throughout
the apartment. The occupants were not injured in the incident and were able to escape.
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Dryer Fire Hits Home in Manheim -
Firefighting News (8/2/2007) |
MANHEIM, PA - A one-alarm fire filled an apartment building with smoke in Manheim this morning. Assistant
Fire Chief Duane Ober of the Manheim Fire Company said the fire was
caused by a clothes dryer in the basement. No injuries were reported, and the fire was under control by
1:08 a.m. Ober said most of the damage was caused by smoke. Minor physical damage to the
walls of the basement was also reported. "Most of the costs will be cleanup," Ober said.
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Fire Damages Garage -
The Modesto Bee (8/1/2007) |
MODESTO, CA - Turlock firefighters battled a fire that heavily damaged
a detached garage Wednesday, said Battalion Chief Tim Lohman. The fire was started
by lint in a clothes dryer, according to the Fire Department. When firefighters arrived, heavy black smoke and flames were
coming off the structure. Firefighters controlled the fire in about 20 minutes.
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Residents Flee Apartment Fire -
The Miami Herald (7/31/2007) |
MIAMI, FL - Dozens of rescue workers successfully evacuated a four-story West Kendall apartment
building late Monday when a dryer caught on fire. Firefighters
put out the blaze within minutes, but residents were stuck outside their homes for two hours as a hazmat team was
called to scan the area for dangerous chemicals that may have been released. According to residents, the
fire was probably caused by large dust deposits behind the rarely-cleaned machines on the fourth floor.
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Much Smoke for Dryer Fire -
The Bainbridge News (7/31/2007) |
BAINBRIDGE, GA - About 11:45 Monday night, Public Safety responded to a house fire at 1006 Powell
Street. When they arrived they found smoke pouring from the doors and what looked to be the
attic area of the house. Assistant Fire Chief James Brock stated that it was a
fire in the dryer. When he arrived the resident told him she had tried to put it out with a fire
extinguisher. A few anxious minutes later she was told the fire had not spread. There was no
fire damage to the home but the smoke damage was extensive.
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Homeowner, Dogs Rescued in Dryer Fire -
The Cincinnati Post (7/30/2007) |
CINCINNATI, OH - Firefighters rescued a homeowner and four dogs from a burning house Monday
in Westwood. Firefighters responded at 11:15 a.m. and found a basement fire in a two-story,
brick, two-family building, the Cincinnati Fire Department said. An overheated dryer
caused the fire, which did an estimated $10,000 damage, the fire department said.
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Dryer Vent Caused Fire -
Marion Chronicle Tribune (7/25/2007) |
MARION, IN - A fire at 8:50 a.m. Monday at Shady Brook Mobile Home Park that destroyed a mobile
home was caused by improper dryer ventilation, Marion firefighter
Paul David said. David, one of the emergency workers who responded to the fire, said the trailer
was a total loss, but everyone inside was able to escape
the blaze. Though the home was equipped with a smoke detector, it did not work. A child living
in the home alerted family members to the smoke, David said. Firefighters were unable to save the
building because it was already engulfed when they arrived at the scene.
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Fire Forces out Family Shelter Tenants -
By Amanda Vaughan - Northern News Services (7/18/2007) |
YELLOWKNIFE, Northwest Territories, Canada - A fire broke out at the Centre for Northern Families last Friday
morning, believed to have started in a clothes dryer. Firefighters
were on the scene very quickly, and the blaze was extinguished before it did any serious harm, however there
was significant water damage. The centre's receptionist,
Maria Carlos Hajcik, said that the staff were lucky, there were no children in the house at the time and they had
just rehearsed fire drills about a week prior to the incident. Firefighter Dave Sundberg was impressed with
the centre's staff, saying that their speedy evacuation of about 30 people helped the fire crew to focus on
putting out the fire as soon as they had been given the all clear to indicate that everyone was out.
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Reno Motel Fire -
KOLO Reno News 8 (7/15/2007) |
RENO, NV - A Reno motel was the scene of a fire Saturday evening, forcing many of the employees and guests to
evacuate. According to authorities on the scene, a dryer caught fire
because of lint buildup, which set the laundry room ablaze. The fire spread into the second floor
but officials tell KOLO 8 most of the damage was located in the laundry room.
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Dryer Sparks Blaze, Destroys Home -
By Denise Wilson - Middletown Journal (7/13/2007) |
LEMON TWP, OH - A clothes dryer sparked a three-alarm fire in a first-floor
laundry room in a single-family home on Oxford-State Road Tuesday afternoon, said Monroe fire officials Thursday. The
dryer in the home was operating prior to the fire, Neu said. When firefighters responded smoke and flames could be
seen shooting from the rear of the home, which had no working smoke detectors, said Monroe Assistant Fire Chief John
Centers. Two adults and two children were home when the fire started, but got out safely, Centers said. The
fire destroyed the home and caused an estimated $50,000 damage to
the rental property, Neu said.
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Jail Fire -
By Kyle Taylor - Danville Register Bee (7/13/2007) |
DANVILLE, VA - A laundry room fire caused a scare at the Danville City Jail early Thursday afternoon. At about
1:19 p.m., firefighters responded to the city jail after a report of a dryer catching
on fire. According to fire crews at the scene, the blaze may have been sparked
by lint building up in the dryer which ignited. The fire created a lot of smoke in the laundry room and
many adjacent and nearby rooms. The blaze was mostly contained to the dryer itself but did cause smoke damage to the
laundry room and nearby rooms.
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Nipomo Assisted Living Facility Evacuated -
Santa Maria Times (7/12/2007) |
SANTA MARIA, CA - Twelve elderly people were evacuated Wednesday night from an assisted living facility in
Nipomo where a fire broke out in a clothes dryer, a Cal Fire official
said. No one was injured in the fire, which was contained to the dryer but caused
smoke damage throughout (estimated at $12,000) the inside of 1688 Quiet Oaks Drive around 7:15 p.m., said Capt. Greg
Alex.
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Fire Destroys West Pelzer Home -
By Pearce Adams - Anderson Independent Mail (7/10/2007) |
WEST PELZER, SC - A Tuesday morning fire in West Pelzer did about $50,000
in damage to a one-story residence and left a family homeless. West Pelzer Fire Chief Dale Mahaffey
said firefighters from his station and those from Wren and Piedmont, also in Anderson County, responded about 10:15
a.m. to smoke and fire at the home. “We had to cut a hole in the roof to ventilate the fire,” Chief Mahaffey
said. “There was fire in the entire attic.” The home’s interior and most of its contents were heavily damaged,
he said. The fire was traced to a dryer’s vent, Chief Mahaffey
said. The blaze spread to the kitchen and up a wall into the attic, he said.
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Dream Home Destroyed by Fire -
By Nick Sabo - Wooster Daily Record (7/10/2007) |
WOOSTER, OH - Up a short landscaped driveway lined with decorative sandstone is a smoldering foundation that once
supported Glen and Tina Geog's dream home. The house took about 18 months to build, beginning in 2001,
Tina Geog said. The Geogs designed the house and installed much of the woodwork on their own. The
fire was reported at about 8:15 p.m. and drew firefighters from Glenmont, Western Holmes, Danville and Killbuck
departments. The 2,000-square-foot house and an attached garage
were consumed in the blaze. The fire is reported to have started
in a clothes dryer. When asked what was lost in the fire, Glen Geog just shook his head. "Everything
burned. It's up in smoke," he said.
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Dryer Fire Damages Folsom Home -
KCRA Channel 3 News (7/2/2007) |
FOLSOM, CA - A dryer fire damaged a Folsom home early Monday,
fire officials said. The owner of the house told authorities she put a load of laundry
in the dryer before going to sleep. A blaze, which was reported at about 2 a.m., spread to the
attic which suffered extensive damage. Officials said dryer
fires are common but can be prevented with proper maintenance and cleaning of vents.
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Teen Escapes Fire After Smoke Detector Wakes Him -
By Terri Sanginiti - The Delaware News Journal (6/29/2007) |
WILMINGTON, DE - A smoke detector is being credited with alerting a sleeping teenager that there was a fire
in his home near New Castle today, state fire officials said. The blaze broke out about 2 p.m. at a home
in the Jefferson Farms development. An investigation determined the fire
started in a clothes dryer, engulfing the dryer in flames and igniting nearby furnishings, Chionchio said. A
14-year-old boy, who was asleep in a first-floor bedroom, was awakened by the sound of the smoke detector and was
able to flee the home safely. Damage was estimated at $25,000.
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Dryer Fire Leads to Closure of YMCA -
The Kalamazoo Gazette (6/28/2007) |
KALAMAZOO, MI - A fire forced officials to briefly close the Kalamazoo County Family YMCA on West Maple
Street Wednesday. A fire that started in a dryer in the
men's locker room at about 9:45 a.m. was quickly brought under control by Kalamazoo Department of Public
Safety firefighters, said Phil Carter, chief executive officer of the Kalamazoo County Family YMCA. No
one was injured. The building was evacuated for about an hour and the dryer was removed from the building,
according to Carter.
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Hotel Fire Routs Guests Overnight -
The Cincinnati Enquirer (6/28/2007) |
CINCINNATI, OH - No one was injured this morning when a dryer fire in a laundry room prompted the evacuation of the
Extended Stay Hotel on Kenwood Road. Firefighters responded to fire alarm at 4:28 a.m., and upon arrival
were advised of a fire in the laundry room, Fire Lt. Lou Ernstes said this morning. The 150-200 people in the
hotel were evacuated, and no one was injured, Ernstes said. Damage,
which was confined to the dryer, was estimated at $4,000.
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Fire on Balcony Damages Apartment -
Ontario Mirror Guardian (6/28/2007) |
YORK, ONTARIO CANADA - An East York apartment unit was heavily damaged
Wednesday after a dryer caught fire. "(The flames) took out the
windows, so the fire got into the unit and did a lot of damage," Toronto Fire Services Capt. Don Marsden said. Marsden
said there were about a dozen fire trucks and 50 firefighters at the scene.
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Dryer Touches Off House Fire -
Burlington Times (6/26/2007) |
BURLINGTON, NC - A laundry dryer is to blame for a fire that
destroyed a Burlington home Tuesday morning. The Burlington Fire Department responded to the fire at
415 Billingham Drive just before 11:30 to find smoke pouring out of the windows and eaves of the house. Burlington
Assistant Chief Lonnie Graves said the house is not livable, and received an
estimated $75,000 worth of damage.
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Friday Night Fire Results in Total Loss -
By John Swails - Sapulpa Daily Herald (6/22/2007) |
SAPULPA, OK - A Friday night fire in east of Sapulpa resulted in a total loss for local residents. Chief John
Baker of the Sapulpa Fire Department reported that a fire broke out at 6202 S. 46th W. Ave in the Oakridge
area. “Evidently, the fire was started by a build-up of lint in the
dryer,” said Baker. “It is a pretty common mistake that causes a great deal of fires.” Baker
reported that no one was hurt as a result of the fire but that the house
was considered a total loss.
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Home Catches Fire with Kids Inside -
By Liza Danver - WFIE TV NBC (6/22/2007) |
EVANSVILLE, IN - A Posey County fire that leaves a family
homeless and smolders late into the night Thursday. No one was hurt in the
fire that started in a dryer. The babysitter was able to get all
the kids out of the house safety. Six fire departments
responded to the scene, but had to truck in water to fight the fire because it's in such a rural
location. Everything inside was destroyed, and
the family is devastated.
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`Stubborn' Attic Fire Ravages Home -
By Selicia Kennedy-Ross - San Bernardino County Sun (6/19/2007) |
SAN BERNARDINO, CA - A "pretty stubborn little attic fire" drove a family of four from its home at 1515 N. Flores St.
late Father's Day. The fire did an estimated $60,000 damage to the
structure and a car and $10,000 to its contents, said Battalion Chief George Avery of the San Bernardino
Fire Department. Battalion Chief Mike Alder dubbed the fire stubborn. "Once attic fires begin, there is nothing
to stop them," he said. The blaze was accidental and was started
by a clothes dryer in the garage, Avery said. "We chased it but it left some pretty extensive damage,"
Alder said. The heat was so intense that it heavily damaged a car parked in the driveway. It was speculated
that the vehicle would be a total loss.
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Fire, Smoke Ruin Main Street Home; Dryer Blamed -
By Chelsea Duncan - The News Review (6/18/2007) |
ROSEBURG, OR - Smoke and fire caused an estimated $170,000 in
damage to a home on Southeast Main Street in Roseburg Sunday night after a dryer
sparked a blaze. Firefighters responded to 1466 S.E. Main St. shortly before 11 p.m. after the residents escaped
and called 911 from a neighbor’s home, said Roseburg Fire Marshal Tony DiMare. “When they got there, the house was
completely filled with smoke,” DiMare said. “The fire was mainly contained to the basement,” he said. “… But then everything
in the house got severe smoke damage.”
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Dryer Lint Sparks Concord Fire -
By Malaika Fraley - Contra Costa Times (6/18/2007) |
CONCORD, CA - Contra Costa firefighters are reminding residents to check their laundry dryers for lint
build-up in the wake of a dryer fire that caused $20,000
in damage to a Concord home today. Lint behind a dryer at a house in the 1000 block of Apple
Street ignited a fire at 11:48 a.m. today. Firefighters extinguished the blaze within 15
minutes. The damage was contained to a converted room in the house's garage where
the washer and dryer were kept.
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Dryer Fire Snuffed -
Laconia Citizen (6/13/2007) |
TILTON, NH - Smoke detectors are being credited for possibly saving three lives early Tuesday morning
when a clothes dryer caught fire, sending smoke
through an apartment above the Smoke and Barley Convenience Store on Laconia Road. Upon
arrival at the scene, firefighters observed smoke coming from the second-floor of the building. Inside
the structure, firefighters found a heavy smoke condition throughout the second floor which they traced
to a fire in a clothes dryer.
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Fire Claims Roosevelt Drive Home -
SitNews (6/12/2007) |
KETCHIKAN, AK - Forty-one firefighters from South Tongass Volunteer Fire Department, North Tongass
Volunteer Fire Department and the Ketchikan Fire Department responded late Friday afternoon to a home
fire. Chief Scott Davis of the South Tongass Volunteer Fire Department said the department
responded to a dryer fire. Chief Davis said,
"The fire quickly escalated to involve the entire structure and two additional alarms were
called, there was extensive damage to the home."
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Pilot Travel Center Destroyed in Fire -
Convenience Store Decisions (6/11/2007) |
BARSTOW, CA - Clean up efforts continue after a fire damaged a Pilot Travel Center last week in Barstow, Calif.,
according to the Desert Dispatch. The fire apparently started in a
clothes dryer on the west side of the store, Barstow Fire Protection Division Chief Sal Corrao. The
total damage has been estimated up to $1 million, which includes
damage to the property and items lost in the fire.
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Dryer Fire Leaves Home with $200,000 in Damages -
By Bryn Weese - North Bay Nugget (6/9/2007) |
NORTH BAY ONTARIO, CANADA - A clothes dryer with a plastic flexible vent pipe is the culprit in a house fire
that broke out early Friday morning causing nearly $200,000 in damage. Randy
Vezina, the city's chief fire prevention officer, said the cause of the fire was lint, dust and other matter that
had accumulated on the bottom of the dryer, near the heating element, which can reach 500 C during a drying
cycle. The debris caught fire and ignited the plastic vent duct
which carried the flames into the walls of the house and into the ceiling. here is heavy fire, smoke
and water damage throughout the home, Vezina said, which will cost almost $200,000 to fix. Vezina
said the city's fire department has been encouraging residents not
to use plastic to vent dryers. It's a petroleum product, he said, that burns fast and hot. Instead,
Vezina said dryers should be vented with aluminum or other non-combustible material made to withstand
high temperatures.
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Fire At Middle Ground Road Apartment -
By Christy Hutchings - WTOC News 11 (6/5/2007) |
SAVANNAH, GA - A fire at a Middle Ground Road apartment complex has left
one family without a home. Tuesday evening a resident was doing laundry when her
dryer caught on fire. Firefighters kept the fire contained
to the dryer, but the apartment did suffer smoke damage.
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Dryer Fire Blamed on Lint -
By Benita Y. Williams - Kansas City Star (6/4/2007) |
OLATHE, MO - After a clothes dryer fire this morning, Olathe
fire officials are reminding residents to clean their dryer lint traps regularly and have the vents checked
periodically. Lint buildup is being blamed for the fire,
which was contained to a laundry room of the Villa St. Francis apartments near 127th Streets and Interstate
35. According to the Consumer Product Safety Commission, about 15,500 such fires occur annually
and cause more than $84 million damage.
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Apparent Dryer Fire Damages Home -
By Ed Dunn - Norwich Bulletin (5/31/2007) |
LISBON, CT -A clothes dryer is being blamed for a fire that
did significant damage Wednesday to the first floor of a two-story home. Deputy Fire Chief Tom Sparkman said, when
firefighters arrived, significant smoke was billowing from the second floor of the house. The second-floor
windows had been blown out by the heat of the blaze, Sparkman said, and the first-floor laundry room was
ablaze when firefighters arrived. The first floor sustained
fire-and-smoke damage. The second floor sustained heat-and-smoke damage.
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Tumble Dryer Blaze -
Lacashire Telegraph (5/30/2007) |
LANCASHIRE, UK - FIREFIGHTERS have issued a warning about tumble dryers after a fire which they
said would have had serious consequences if it had been in a house. A crew from Nelson Fire
Station attended the blaze in Smith Street in the town, at 3pm yesterday, when bed sheets in a
tumble dryer caught fire. The dryer
was severely damaged, as was the shed that housed the dryer and there was light smoke
damage to the house. Watch manager Tom Ashworth said that preventative measures
should be taken to help stop dryer fires.
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Nearby Firefighters Douse Blaze -
St. Louis Post Dispatch (5/24/2007) |
ST. LOUIS, MO - The spread of a fire Tuesday in the basement of a home in the first block of Harvest
Drive was minimized by a few well-placed firefighters, officials said Wednesday. As a
Cottleville fire district crew was leaving a business inspection about 3:30 p.m. Tuesday, they
noticed smoke coming from a nearby house and called for help before rushing to the scene. They
found a fire in the basement. It had shattered a window and was burning up the siding on the
back of the house. An 11-year-old girl who was at home escaped unharmed.
Damage to the home is estimated at $50,000. The blaze
was caused by lint buildup in the dryer, officials said.
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Two Cats Die in House Fire -
Daily Southtown News (5/21/2007) |
CHICAGO , IL - A Bridgeview family lost two pet cats this morning when a fire broke out in the basement
of their home. The fire started in the basement near the dryer, and the
blaze could have been caused by a malfunction in the dryer, Bridgeview Fire Chief Robert Thurzo
said. The basement sustained fire damage and the rest of the home sustained smoke
damage. Two pet cats died.
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Dryer Fire Causes $125K In Damage -
KPIX TV CBS 5 (5/21/2007) |
SANTA ROSA , CA - A clogged exhaust vent from a clothes dryer
caused a fire that destroyed a garage and caused $125,000 damage to a residence, the Santa Rosa
Fire Department reported Monday morning. The fire was burning in the garage of the single-story
house and was threatening a neighboring house 10 feet away when firefighters arrived, Battalion Chief Mark
Basque said. The fire then spread to the attic of the main living area and caused major-to-moderate
damage, Basque said. The interior living area of the wood frame home sustained moderate smoke
and water damage but firefighters saved the majority of the residents' personal belongings, Basque said.
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Cause Identified In House Fire That Left 7 Homeless -
WHIO TV (5/18/2007) |
KETTERING, OH - Investigators have released the cause of a house fire in Kettering. Fire officials said
a dryer in a utility room started a fire two weeks ago. Two
good Samaritans helped the family of seven escape the burning structure. Kettering firefighters recommend
that everyone routinely inspect and service their appliances. They also recommend cleaning out the lint out of
dryers on a regular basis.
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Dryer Sparks Rockford House Fire -
Rockford Register Star (5/18/2007) |
ROCKFORD, IL - A clothes dryer sparked a fire in a home Thursday
night. The fire started about 8:45 p.m. on the lower level of the split-level ranch home, causing extensive smoke
damage throughout the house, according to a report from the Rockford Fire Department. No one in the home
was hurt, but the structure has been deemed unlivable.
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Fire Damages Napa Garage, Attic -
By Marsha Dorgan - Napa Valley Register (5/16/2007) |
NAPA, CA - A preliminary investigation of a fire that destroyed a garage
points to a running dryer. When a tenant left the house about 20 minutes prior to fire breaking out,
the dryer in the garage was running, Napa Fire Capt. Donnie Johnson said. “We estimate the
loss to be between $80,000 to $100,000,” Johnson said. “The
smoke was so heavy, you could not see the house from the street,” Johnson said. “Firefighters were able to keep the
fire from spreading to the house even though there was no separation between the attic in the garage and the house.”
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Nursing Home Evacuated After Fire Starts In Laundry Room -
WFTV Channel 9 News (5/14/2007) |
ORLANDO, FL - Dozens of residents from an Orlando nursing home were forced to evacuate
Sunday night when a fire started in the facility's laundry room. Fire investigators said the blaze
started in a clothes dryer at the Rosewood Health and Rehabilitation Center. A sprinkler system helped douse the flames. Residents
were moved to other parts of the facility. No one was hurt.
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Dryer Likely Cause of Fire -
By Joel Banner Baird - Staunton News Leader (5/11/2007) |
STAUNTON, VA - A clothes dryer apparently overheated and started a
house fire late Friday morning. The house's residents escaped from the blaze uninjured, said Lt.
Perry Weller of the Staunton Fire Department. Weller said a preliminary investigation suggested that
there was not enough space around the dryer to dissipate its heat. The fire
damaged the basement level, and the upper stories of the split-level
suffered heat and smoke damage, Weller added.
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Fire Took 2 Lives, One a Hero's -
By Marlon A. Walker - Charlotte News & Observer (5/10/2007) |
RALEIGH, NC - In a 911 call Monday afternoon, an almost calm Shannon Minshew told a dispatcher that the
house she lived in was on fire. The rickety old dryer, which
had been a problem for some time, sparked the blaze, she explained. Friends say that after
hanging up, the 36-year-old positioned a chair on the wheelchair ramp outside the house and headed back
inside. She wasn't going anywhere without her grandmother, Mayola Waddell, 77, who was
bedridden. When fire officials arrived at 1884 Memorial Church Road shortly after 1 p.m., the
small home was engulfed in flames. They found Minshew dead in the front hall. Beneath her
but still alive, was Waddell. Waddell died later Monday at Wayne Memorial Hospital. "Shannon's
a hero," her friend Lauren Vick said Wednesday night.
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Dryer Fire at YMCA -
By Mary O'Keefe - La Cañada (5/9/2007) |
FLINTRIDGE, CA -On Sunday a clothing dryer
fire at the Cañada Crescenta YMCA called for evacuation
of the entire building including those in the pool. According to Malogolowkin, the staff noticed
smoke coming from the roof above the laundry room around 4:10 p.m. One of the facilities large
dryers caught fire.
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Dryer Fire at Cleveleys Pub -
Blackpool Citizen (5/8/2007) |
BLACKPOOL, UK - Fire crews from Fleetwood and Bispham attended a fire at a Cleveleys pub last
night which was started by a faulty clothes dryer. Thick
smoke built up at the back of the Tramway's pub at about 10.20pm, which set off the smoke siren installed at the
pub. The manager evacuated the premises before firefighters put out a small blaze. The dryer was
completely destroyed by the fire and there was light smoke damage to
the laundry room, corridor and staff room.
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Two Killed in Northern Wayne Fire -
By Lee Williams - Westport Now (5/8/2007) |
GOLDSBORO, NC - An elderly woman and her granddaughter died from
injuries they received in a fire that broke out inside of the laundry room. The clothes
dryer caught on fire and Ms. Minshew placed a call to 911 to report the blaze. Firefighters from the Nahunta, Little River,
Polly Watson, Fremont and Pikeville Volunteer Fire Departments arrived and found the large wood frame home engulfed in
flames. "Firefighters entered the structure to bring two people out," Nahunta Volunteer Fire Chief Jay Howell said. Ms.
Minshew, who lived in the home to care for her grandmother, died instantly, officials said. Ms. Waddell, who sustained
heavy burns, died later at Wayne Memorial Hospital, officials said today. The fire caused about $100,000 in damage
and the home was declared a total loss, Wayne County Sheriff's Capt. Tom Effler said.
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Family Escapes Fire Unhurt -
Fontana Herald News (5/7/2007) |
FONTANA, CA - A fire destroyed a garage at a
Fontana residence on May 7, but 10 people at the house were able to escape the blaze without
injury, according to San Bernardino County Fire Department officials. The fire, which was
apparently caused by the dryer inside the
garage, erupted at 8:04 a.m., officials said. The contents of the garage were destroyed,
and the home received smoke damage. The total estimated
loss was $280,000.
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Fire Damages Home Laundry Room -
Westport Now (5/5/2007) |
WESTPORT, CT - A dryer fire damaged a home laundry room today and
caused smoke damage throughout the house, fire officials said. It was the second Westport
home laundry room fire in 11 days. Firefighters responded to a 911 call at 11:32 a.m. of smoke coming
from a clothes dryer. The homeowner said she was in her kitchen when she smelled smoke in the
adjacent laundry room. She went to get a fire extinguisher but, “prudently exited the area when
she observed the amount of accumulated smoke in the laundry room,” Maloney said.
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Residents Evacuated at Hickory Manor -
Hickory Daily Record (5/5/2007) |
HICKORY, NC - A small fire briefly evacuated a Hickory assisted living residence earlier today. A
dryer fire forced the 73 residents of Hickory Manor, located on Sixteenth Street, NE, out into the
cold and rain around 10:40 a.m. With certain residents’ conditions and smoke and fire
extinguisher chemicals in the air, officials felt residents should be checked out. Investigators
said the fire started when items inside the dryer got too hot.
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Family Loses House in Dryer Blaze -
By Amy Moore - Port Arthur News (5/4/2007) |
PORT NECHES, TX - Jennifer English was excited to finally finish texturing and painting her living room on
Sunday. Completing the project meant she and her family were one step closer to remodeling their
house into a home. However, English’s dreams literally went up in flames Tuesday when a complication
with her dryer caused a fire that left her home a charred
and smoldering frame of ashes.
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Fire Spreads from Garage to House -
By Adam Townsend - Orange County Register (5/3/2007) |
MISSION VIEJO, CA - The blaze started in the garage of a single-story single-family house, said Capt. Steve Miller
of the Orange County Fire Authority. Though firefighters quickly controlled the fire, they spent more than
an hour stripping the building of roofing materials to make sure there were no smoldering embers underneat
it or in the walls, which Miller called "extensive overhaul work." Miller said that
the fire displaced six adults and two children. Firefighters
traced the fire to a clothes dryer. They estimate the blaze caused $200,000
damage to the garage and attic, Miller said, as well as smoke damage throughout the home.
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Fire Leaves 6 Homeless -
The Mercury Register (5/2/2007) |
OAKLAND, CA - A two-alarm house fire Tuesday afternoon left a family
of six homeless, officials said. No one was injured but firefighters did rescue a dog from a burning
shed, Capt. Melinda Drayton said. The fire erupted about 2:57 p.m. in a dryer in a lower duplex unit. The
blaze, which caused $170,000 in damages, spread into the kitchen
and attic of the lower unit, Drayton said.
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Fire in Dryer Drives Mother, Daughter from Home -
The Columbus Telegram (5/2/2007) |
COLUMBUS, NE - A Columbus woman at home sick awoke to find her basement clothes
dryer in flames about 10 a.m. today. She grabbed her 3-year-old daughter and whisked her to safety
outside. Ronnette Dovenbarger and her daughter, Torrie, were not injured in the fire that
caused an estimated $10,000 damage. About a dozen Columbus Fire
Department firefighters spent about 45 minutes extinguishing the basement fire and setting up fans to draw the
smoke outside. The dryer was destroyed and there was smoke and water damage in the basement, Lt. Terry
Pfeifer said.
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Dryer Blamed for Bothell Fire -
The Seattle Times (5/2/2007) |
SEATTLE, WA - A two-alarm house fire that broke out Tuesday morning in the 19500 block of 129th Court
Northeast was caused by a clothes dryer, authorities
said. Several fire departments were called in at 9:08 a.m. to bring the blaze under control, police
said. Authorities suspect that clothing caught fire in the dryer when the overheating sensor
failed. The single-family residence had damage of about $200,000.
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9 Cats, Dogs Saved From House Fire -
KOIN News 6 (4/27/2007) |
VANCOUVER, WA - Nine pets were rescued early Friday from a Vancouver house fire. When firefighters
arrived, the four residents were safely outside but were worried about their eight dogs and two cats trapped
inside. After dousing the flames, crews rescued all but one of the cats. Special oxygen masks
were used to revive the animals. Two of the human victims suffered smoke inhalation but were not
hospitalized. The fire caused extensive heat and smoke
damage to the home. Investigators think that the fire started in the dryer. Damage was estimated at
$225,000.
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Fire Causes $50,000 Damage -
London Free Press (4/26/2007) |
LONDON, ONTARIO CANADA - An afternoon blaze caused $50,000
damage to a London home yesterday. Fire officials were called to the Hawkesbury Avenue
home before dinner time to fight the blaze, which is believed to have started
in a dryer vent. The fire then spread to the roof and flames could be seen shooting skyward, fire officials
and witnesses said.
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Dryer Blamed -
The Grand Rapids Press (4/25/2007) |
GRAND RAPIDS, MI - Authorities have traced a Monday afternoon fire
that caused about $120,000 in damage to a Southeast Side house to the dryer, fire investigator
Pablo Martinez said. The fire at 2200 Burning Tree Drive SE started about 4:40 p.m. The owner
told authorities she put a load of clothes in the dryer and left to run errands. An off-duty Grand
Rapids police officer spotted smoke and called fire officials.
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Powell County Fire Destroys Business and Home -
WKYT News (4/24/2007) |
HAZARD, KY - A Kentucky couple loses their home and business in
the same fire Tuesday afternoon in Powell County. Flames erupted at the Red River Outdoors Store near
Natural Bridge State Park. We're told four different county fire departments were called to fight the strong
flames. But by the time fire crews arrived to the scene it was too late. The
fire destroyed the business and the couple's home, where they
lived on the second floor. Luckily the two were not injured in that fire, but the family dog wasn't so
lucky. Firefighters say they believe the fire may have started
from a dryer. Investigators are still looking into the official cause.
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Fire Leads to Gas Leak, Evacuation -
Brock Parker - York Dispatch (4/23/2007) |
YORK, PA - Firefighters had to evacuate a Red Lion home yesterday after a two-alarm fire caused a gas leak. The
fire broke out in the clothes dryer, sending heavy smoke through the home, said Deputy Chief Joseph Yahnky of the Leo
Independent Fire Co. in Red Lion. Yahnky said firefighters were able to extinguish the dryer fire in the laundry room
within five minutes. But Yahnky said firefighters had to evacuate the home after extinguishing the flames because
a gas line going to a water heater at the home melted and caused a gas leak. Once a crew shut off the gas to the
house, firefighters were able to re-enter the home. Yahnky estimated the fire caused no more than $10,000 in damage.
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Dryer Fire Causes Evacuation of Pocomoke Hotel -
Delmarva Daily Times (4/23/2007) |
POCOMOKE CITY, MD - A dryer fire resulted in the evacuation of
the Holiday Inn Express hotel on Route 13 for nearly an hour on Sunday afternoon. The Pocomoke Volunteer
Fire Company said all guests and hotel personnel were evacuated and firefighters used high capacity smoke
ejectors because of smoke and steam throughout the first floor. Firefighters were at the scene for about
45 minutes and damage was contained to the laundry room, fire company officials said.
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Fire Causes $20,000 in Damage -
By Christina Kauffman - York Dispatch (4/16/2007) |
YORK, PA - A fire that started in a clothes-dryer vent
system caused $20,000 in damage to a house at 1502 Fireside Road this morning, said
York City Fire Department Assistant Chief Richard Saylor. Neighbor Deb Barnhart said she
and her husband saw Meloni's three cats looking out of the house's windows. They told
the 911 operator they planned to break into the house to save the cats, which Meloni treasures,
Barnhart said. But the operator advised against entering the home, she
said. Smoke
claimed the life of one cat, which a firefighter found in a rear bedroom. The other two cats
were taken to an area vet, Saylor said.
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Fire in Clothes Dryer Damages House -
By By Maria Papadopoulos - The Enterprise / SouthOfBoston.com (4/16/2007) |
BROCKTON, MA - A clothes dryer caught on fire in a
single-family home Sunday afternoon on Peterson Avenue, fire officials said. Firefighters responded
after receiving a 911 emergency call reporting the fire at 3:50 p.m. Sunday, said Fire Deputy Chief George
Phillips. When firefighters arrived, they found smoke showing outside of the home. Once inside,
firefighters found flames within a room that housed the dryer, Phillips said. Minimal damage was
reported to the first floor of the wood-framed, Cape style home, Phillips said.
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Fire Starts in Dryer, Forces 5 out of Snellville Home -
Gwinnett Daily Post (4/14/2007) |
SNELLVILLE, GA - A family on Everson Court was displaced from their home Saturday after
a fire originated in their clothes dryer and
left significant damage to their house. Firefighters arrived at the home at 3050 Everson
Court about 9 a.m. Saturday to find heavy smoke coming from the house. A blaze
appeared to have originated in the laundry room. The flames
caused heavy damage to the laundry
area and sent significant heat and smoke damage throughout the rest of the house.
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Unattended Clothes Dryer Starts Fire -
New Brunswick Home News Tribune (4/14/2007) |
LINDEN, NJ - An unattended clothes dryer started a fire in
an East Henry Street home Saturday, according to a fire official. Nobody was home at the time, and
the fire extended out a window near the vent, igniting the side of the home before firefighters extinguished
it, according to Deputy Fire Chief John Traub. Traub warned that the heat buildup in unattended
clothes dryers can start fires in some materials. "And you need to clean out the lint filter or the air
flow is not effective," Traub said.
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Family Escapes Fire -
The Grand Rapids Press (4/13/2007) |
GRAND RAPIDS, MI - Firefighters blamed a dryer for an
early-morning blaze today at an apartment complex on Camelot
Drive SE near East Paris Avenue. A woman managed to get her
four children out of the apartment safely after the dryer
fire spread to the rest of her apartment. Others left nearby
units as firefighters responded around 5 a.m. Fire
Investigator Pablo Martinez estimated damage at $50,000.
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Clothes Dryer Causes House Fire -
Cherry Hill Courier Post (4/10/2007) |
CHERRY HILL, NJ - A fire that damaged the basement of a bungalow-style home in Gloucester City
was caused by a dryer, fire officials said. The
one-alarm fire was reported about 2 p.m. Monday at 804 Center St., Fire Battalion Chief John McNutt
said. "There was fire damage to the basement and smoke
damage throughout the rest of the property," McNutt said.
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Dryer Fire Causes Heavy Damage -
Huntsville Times (4/10/2007) |
HUNTSVILLE, AL - Huntsville Fire & Rescue responded to blazes at two residences Monday, according
to dispatchers. The fire at 511 Bain Drive reportedly started
in the dryer and heavily damaged the home. No one was at home at the time.
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Greensboro Assisted Living Home Evacuated After Fire -
Greensboro News Record (4/9/2007) |
GREENSBORO, NC - Eighty-three people were
evacuated from an assisted living home early this morning after a fire started in the
laundry room. The building was being evacuated with light smoke coming from the
first floor and dining room on the second floor, according to a fire department press
release. A fire had started in the
dryer in the laundry room. A sprinkler head was activated, which extinguished
the fire.
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Dryer Fire Causes Evacuation at Chemawa School -
Associated Press - The Oregonian (4/8/2007) |
PORTLAND, OR - A fire in a dryer led to the evacuation of
the Chemawa Indian School near Salem early Sunday, the authorities said. Firefighters helped
evacuate three dorms while they searched for the cause of smoke. They discovered that the
fire started in a dryer that was running with a load of towels.
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Fire Destroys Home Near Brunswick -
By David Simon - The Frederick News-Post (4/7/2007) |
BRUNSWICK, MD - A fire destroyed a home about 7:30 a.m.
today at 2701 W. Boss Arnold Road, according to Brunswick Volunteer Fire Co. Assistant Chief Wade
Watson. The fire was ruled to be accidental, caused
by a blocked dryer vent, Watson said. Damages are estimated at about $250,000. It
took more than a dozen fire companies about two hours to control the flames, Watson said.
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Pearl River Hilton Fire Forces Evacuation -
By James Walsh -The Journal News (4/5/2007) |
PEARL RIVER, NY - Heavy smoke from a laundry room
fire forced the evacuation of the Pearl River Hilton last night. More than 100
volunteer firefighters from six departments responded to the alarm about 7:30 p.m. The
fire began in a dryer, setting off an automatic alarm that alerted the volunteers as
well as hotel employees. The fire was contained to the laundry room, but "there was
smoke throughout the whole building," Pearl River Fire Chief Tom Bade said. "Once we knew
we had an active fire, we evacuated the building right away." "The actual problem was that
we had smoke conditions throughout the whole
building," Bade said, "so we had to do a floor-by-floor, room-by-room search."
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Clothes Dryer Starts House Fire -
By Kate Buick - Norfolk 98.9 FM News (4/5/2007) |
SIMCO, Canada - Damage is pegged at 30 thousand
dollars after a house fire in Simcoe. Yesterday morning, firefighters were called
to a home near the intersection of Ireland road and Highway three. A motorist driving-by
saw smoke coming from the windows and used their cell phone to call authorities. When
firefighters got to the scene they discovered a fire had
started in a clothing dryer and spread to the upstairs of the house. No one was
home at the time and no injuries were reported.
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Late Night Fire Guts Jefferson Home -
By Mike Colbert - Lincoln County News (4/4/2007) |
DAMARSICOTTA, ME - Jefferson firefighters pumped more than 134,000 gallons of water onto
a blaze ignited by an electric clothes dryer at a
Waldoboro Road residence on Saturday night. Firefighters from Waldoboro, Newcastle,
Whitefield, Nobleboro Washington, Windsor and Somerville assisted Jefferson firefighters, who
battled the fire for five hours from 10 p.m. Saturday night until 3 a.m. Sunday morning. The
fire destroyed a 100-year old two-story farmhouse
owned by David Steinkoenig.
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Fire Shuts Down Part of Quinte Mall -
By Jeremy Ashley - Belleville Intelligencer (4/3/2007) |
BELLEVILLE, Ontario, Canada - A small, flaming dryer shut
down a section of the area's largest shopping centre Monday. Fire crews responded
to the southwest entrance of the Quinte Mall near the Sport Chek store at 11:28 a.m. after receiving
a 911 call reporting smoke billowing through the mall. According to firefighters at the scene,
a dryer used for towels at the Paris Nails location began smoking and the contents eventually caught
fire - sending dark clouds wafting out the front entrance of the store and into the mall
corridors. Fire inspector Lyle Quennell said the blaze
was caused by a build-up of lint in the dryer's vent system. "People should make
sure the lint trap is properly cleaned out after every use and once a month make sure there isn't lint
trapped in piping out the rear of the appliance," he said.
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Appliances Burn in St. Bernard's Fire -
The Eureka Reporter (4/2/2007) |
EUREKA, CA - A fire late Friday at a dormitory facility at St. Bernard’s caused an estimated $2,000 in damage
and required the evacuation of around a dozen people. According to a news release issued by
the Eureka Fire Department, the small fire — which originated in a dryer — was reported minutes before
midnight, and firefighters from the EFD and the Humboldt Fire District arrived at the scene to discover the
contents of the dryer burning, with flames extending to adjacent appliances. Yarnall said the fire
was probably caused by a failure to clean the dryer’s lint
filter, and was exacerbated by the use of vinyl ducting material to vent the dryer. “Combustible
vinyl ducting is not approved for dryer venting,” the release stated. Yarnall said aluminum ducting
material should be used instead.
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Dryer Fire Closes Child Care Centre -
By Vince Versace - North Umberland News (3/30/2007) |
COBOURG, Ontario, Canada - The Terry Fox YMCA Child Care centre remains closed a day after a fire in a
dryer cleared out the centre. On Thursday, March 29, just before 6 p.m., Cobourg firefighters
responded to a call of a fire at the child care centre. When firefighters arrived they discovered
the fire in a clothes dryer. Cobourg Fire Chief
Al Mann said, “It could have been lint which collected on a filter or a heating coil, we are not sure just
yet.” The fire was confined to the dryer, but the ceiling above it was torn open to ensure the
fire had not spread.
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Lint Buildup Caused Apartment Fire -
Gothamist and New York Times (3/28/2007) |
NEW YORK, NY - Yesterday's West 65th Street apartment building fire
was caused by lint buildup in the clothes dryer. Somehow the lint ignited, and according to the NY
Times, "flames racing upstairs in the pipe recesses between the building’s front facade and an inner
wall." A 31-year-old woman found was in cardiac arrest and actually
flatlined, but medics brought her back to life and she is now in stable condition. Her companion
is also in stable condition; 10 other people were injured.
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Dryer Fire Destroys 4 Townhouse Condos -
Connecticut Journal Inquirer (3/21/2007) |
VERNON, CT - Shivering under a fleece blanket borrowed from a neighbor, Christine Vigneault clung to her
newlywed husband, Jeremy, Tuesday evening and tearfully watched flames and smoke shoot through the collapsed
roof of their condo off Old Town Road. "It's just so awful, but I can't look away," she said. Then a cell phone rang,
and her mother was on the other end. Christine buried her head into Jeremy's shoulder and sobbed into the phone - "It's all
gone." On Tuesday, a raging fire that officials say may have started
in a dryer vent quickly consumed four attached units within 15 minutes. The
roof collapsed on the two-story wood frame structure, Fire Chief
Robert Kelley said. The dryers are back-to-back in the second floor hallway of the townhouses, and the fire traveled
through the walls from unit 99 into 100 and spread to 101 and 102 through the attic, Kelley said.
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Dryer Fire Forces Evacuation of Apartment Building -
Associated Press (3/21/2007) |
WILLISTON, ND - A 12-plex apartment building was evacuated early Tuesday after a dryer fire was
discovered in an attached laundry room. "It started
with an old gas dryer in a laundry shed attached to the apartment," Williston Fire Chief
Alan Hanson. The flames
were contained within 20 minutes. Tenants found wind chill factors of 20 degrees
outside. Damage to the laundry structure
was estimated at $5,000. Hanson said smoke damage appeared minimal to the apartment portion itself.
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Overnight Fire Forces Residents into Streets -
Tampa Bay's 10 News CBS (3/20/2007) |
ST. PETERSBURG, FL - Fire forces dozens of assisted living residents out of their rooms in the middle
of the night. It happened around 11:30 p.m. Monday night at Patrick Manor Assisted Living
Facility located on 73rd Avenue North in St. Petersburg. St. Pete Fire and Rescue say
the fire started in the laundry room from a gas
dryer. The fire was contained to the laundry room although smoke spread
throughout the building. 43 residents total were evacuated. Officials say all
the residents were taken to a nearby hotel for the night.
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Fire Forces Spa to Close Temporarily -
HeraldNet.com (3/20/2007) |
LYNNWOOD, WA - A hair salon in Lynnwood caught fire Monday afternoon. Around
2:45 p.m., a dryer full of linen ignited in the beauty shop in the 19000 block of Highway 99. "It
looks like lint build up allowed the dryer to overheat and
catch the contents on fire," Lynnwood Fire Lt. Jason Turner said. The business
temporarily closed Monday in order to clean up from the fire.
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Smoke Forces Evacuation at Gwinnett Place Mall -
By Ryan Crawford - Gwinnett Daily Post (3/18/2007) |
DULUTH, GA - Gwinnett Place Mall was evacuated Saturday night after a
fire started in a clothes dryer at
a nail salon on the lower level. Gwinnett County Fire Department spokesman
Lt. Tommy Rutledge said the only damage caused by the fire was to the clothes
dryer. Mall patrons were evacuated
about 7:50 p.m. when moderate to heavy amounts of smoke began to fill the common area
near the food court. “It was a Saturday night and it was cold outside, so there
were a lot of people in the mall, but no one was injured,” Rutledge said.
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Dryer Fire Damages Home -
The Saginaw News (3/17/2007) |
SEBEWAING, MI - Saginaw firefighters spent about 30 minutes quenching
a dryer fire in the basement of
the May Mims home, 2012 S. Washington. The family
was home and shut the basement door, which kept smoke damage to a minimum,
said Battalion Chief Jeff A. Martinez. He estimated
damage at $1,100 combined for
the structure and contents of the two-story wood-framed house.
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Clothes Dryer Blamed for Fatal North East Fire -
By Danée Attebury - Cecil Whig Newspaper (3/15/2007) |
NORTH EAST, MD - Investigators said Tuesday’s fatal fire near North East was the
result of a faulty clothes dryer and the
victim died of smoke inhalation. Barbara Hensler, 66, died in her
trailer at 111 Inverness Drive, where she lived alone, said deputy state fire
marshal Joseph Zurolo Jr. An autopsy performed at the Office of
the Chief Medical Examiner in Baltimore showed Hensler died of smoke
inhalation, he said. Investigators do not know exactly what caused
Hensler’s dryer to malfunction. Most dryer fires are caused by
the build up of lint, which
can ignite from a dryer’s heat, according a report by the U.S. Fire
Administration. Any blockages in a dryer’s exhaust vent can
cause the dryer to overheat, the report shows.
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Deadly Mobile Home Fire Traced to Dryer -
Fox 9 News Minneapolis (3/13/2007) |
LANDFALL, MN - Fire investigators have determined a clothes
dryer started a mobile home fire that killed three family members in the eastern Twin
Cities. Officials don't know the precise cause of the last Thursday's early morning blaze in
Landfall. But they speculate the dryer may have overheated from a buildup of lint or hanging
clothes. "Obviously, that's what we're speculating," said Maplewood Fire Chief Steve
Lukin. Luis Bernal Sr., 25, his wife Sandra, 26, and their 4-year-old son Erick died in
the fire. Another 6-year-old son, Luis Bernal Jr., and the boy's 31-year-old uncle survived.
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Blaze Erupts at City Apartments -
By Ken Kosky - Munster Times (3/13/2007) |
MUNSTER, IN - A dryer fire in an apartment
went unnoticed for an estimated 30 to 45 minutes Monday morning, giving the fire time to creep
through the vent and spread into the wall, a
fire official said. The fire, at 936 Hampton Court, ended up
causing $70,000 damage to the four-unit
apartment building, Valparaiso Assistant Fire Chief Dan Lamb said. Lamb said none of the
units will be livable until repairs are made. Valparaiso police evacuated the building,
and Washington Township firefighters assisted. Porter hospital emergency medical
service took Gordon to the hospital for treatment of smoke inhalation, Lamb said.
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No One Injured in Morning Fire -
By Brock Parker - The York Dispatch (3/13/2007) |
YORK, PA - An early morning dryer fire in West York
continued a long week for local firefighters. No one was injured by the fire which broke out
at an apartment in 41 N. Pearl St. at about 12:40 a.m. this morning, said Fire Chief Dave Nichols of
the Shiloh Fire Co. Nichols said the dryer fire did spread a little in the apartment, but
firefighters "knocked it down pretty quick." No one was in the apartment when the
fire began. Firefighters from West York, Spring Garden Township, West Manchester
Township, Shiloh and Dover Township responded to the dryer fire this morning.
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Dryer in Condo Erupts in Flames -
Sayre Morning Times (3/7/2007) |
LINCOLN PARK, NJ - Police said a woman doing laundry in her condominium reported a fire from the
dryer. Jennifer Kouchler was home at 250 Robertson Way on the first floor of the three-story
building with her dog and cat when she reported the dryer
was engulfed in flames Tuesday morning, Sgt. Michael Runfeldt said. No one was
injured. The fire, which did not cause any extensive damage to the condominium or the
24-unit building, was put out by the fire department, said Runfeldt. The dryer was destroyed.
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Dryer Fire Destroys Mobile Home -
Sayre Morning Times (3/1/2007) |
CHEMUNG, PA - Four members of a family of five escaped injury when their mobile home caught
fire Wednesday night. Chemung Fire Chief Dan Sewalt explained that firefighters were
called to the 1577 County Route 60 home of the Raymond Decker family at 9:40 p.m. Wednesday
for the report of a dryer fire. The mobile
home and its contents have been declared a “total
loss,” said Sewalt.
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House Fire Caused by Dryer -
KHQA 7 News (2/27/2007) |
HANNIBAL, MO - The Hannibal Fire Department says a faulty dryer
caused a fire at a house at 1712 South Arch Street Tuesday morning. Firefighters got the call
at 10:50 a.m. When they got there, they saw heavy smoke and fire coming from the back of the
house. Firefighters had the fire under control within 15 minutes. The entire house
had heavy fire and smoke damage. One person
got out safely, but several pets died in the fire.
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Blocked Dryer Vent Sparks Apartment Fire -
Huntsville Times (2/22/2007) |
HUNTSVILLE, AL - A Stone Crossing Apartments resident was moved to another apartment
Thursday afternoon after the resident's apartment was damaged by fire, Huntsville Fire & Rescue
spokesman Jay Gates said. A blocked clothes
dryer vent caused the fire at 3784 University Drive, Gates said. The dryer and the clothes
in it were destroyed by the fire. The laundry room had light fire damage and the rest of
the apartment had smoke damage, Gates said.
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Trapped Lint May Have Helped Spark Fire -
By Amanda Soares - The Arizona Republic (2/20/2007) |
CHANDLER, AZ - The Chandler Fire Department is asking the public to keep their laundry vents
clean after a laundry room fire in a Chandler
home Sunday evening. "LInt trapped under the dryer might be an easy start for
fires," Chandler Fire Battalion Chief Dan Couch said. The fire, which began at about 5:40 p.m.
at a home on the 100 block of North Soho Place, is still under investigation.
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Fire Sprinklers Save Building -
KRTV Fox 12 (2/19/2007) |
NAMPA, ID - Officials are crediting fire sprinklers for saving a Nampa building
from fire on Saturday. Fire crews were sent to the Beehive Assisted Living Center on
Saturday afternoon, but by the time they arrived, a sprinkler system had already extinguished
the flames. According to the Nampa Fire Department,
the blaze was caused by lint build-up in a laundry
room dryer vent.
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Dryer Fire Forces Relocation of 6 Families -
By Curt Brown - SouthCoastToday.com (2/19/2007) |
NEW BEDFORD, MA - A dryer fire yesterday at
an apartment building in the city's South End has temporarily left
six families homeless. District Chief Thomas Marginson said there is substantial smoke
and water damage to the six-family building at 153 Blackmer St. Fire officials ordered power to the
building cut. "The fire got into the ceiling between the second and third floors and into the
stairway," he said. The fire in the dryer was reported at 12:25 p.m. and four engine
companies and two ladder trucks responded.
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Clogged Dryer Sparks Salem House Fire -
By Antonia Giedowyn - KTVZ - NBC 21 (2/18/2007) |
BEND, OR - A clogged dryer vent caused a Salem
house fire over the weekend. Firefighters were called to 478 Hawthorne Avenue NE about
6:20 p.m. “The occupant, Anaya Rosas Juan Arturo, and his family, were at home when
they checked the clothes in the dryer and discovered the inside of the dryer was on fire,” said
Bill Holmstrom, spokesman for the Salem Fire Department. When firefighters arrived, the
dryer inside the garage was engulfed in flames. They quickly extinguished the blaze. Investigators
determined the cause of the fire was a clogged dryer
vent that did not allow heat to escape properly, thereby igniting the clothes.
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Three Children Escape Dryer Fire -
By Tena Lee - Hendersonville Star News (2/14/2007) |
HENDERSONVILLE, TN - Firefighters were called to 206 Evergreen Drive at around 5 p.m. responding to
a dryer fire call. Hendersonville Fire Inspector
Bob Galoppi said there were several people - including three
children - in the home at the time of the fire, and that all escaped unharmed. That fire
appears to have started in a clothes dryer and was contained to the home's laundry area.
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Fire Damages Home, Destroys two Porsches -
Enterprise Record (2/13/2007) |
CHICO, CA - Fire caused by a problem with a clothes dryer destroyed the garage of a home at 846 Central Park
Drive Sunday night. Flames also engulfed a Porsche parked in the garage, and badly damaged a
second. No one was injured in the fire. It took 20 firefighters several minutes to control the
flames. Fire Department Division Chief Chris Main said the interior of the home suffered heavy smoke and heat damage, but
didn't burn. The dryer was definitely the origin of
the fire, but Main did not immediately know if it was from an electrical problem or from a vent
clogged with lint. He estimated structural damage
to the home at $100,000.
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Dryer Blamed For Fire Killing 39 Cats, Dogs -
Local 6 News (2/8/2007) |
ORLANDO, FL - A faulty dryer at Seminole County Animal Services
in Sanford is being blamed for killing nearly 40 animals. The fire
was knocked down in about 15 minutes but not before 32 cats and seven dogs were killed. Other animals were
also treated for smoke inhalation. Nearly 300 animals at the clinic survived the fire.
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Dryer Fire Causes $20,000 in Damage -
St. Petersbug Times / Tampabay.com (2/8/2007) |
TAMPA BAY, FL - A dryer caught fire Tuesday in a Tampa Palms
home, causing extensive damage to the house, according to
Tampa Fire Rescue. The owner was at home when the fire started, but no one was injured in the
blaze, which started at 1:51 p.m., said fire rescue spokesman Jace Kohan. It took fire crews 30 minutes
to bring the fire under control.
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Firefighters Save Norwich Colonial -
By Greg Smith - Norwich Bulletin (2/7/2007) |
NORWICH, CT - Quick work by firefighters Tuesday helped save a historic Norwichtown home damaged by
fire. The fire started in a dryer at the rear of the
1 1/2 story, single-family Colonial at 7 Harland Road, according to homeowner Pat Tatro. Tatro, 62,
said it was at about 9:20 a.m. when she smelled burning lint. Smoke billowed out of the dryer
when she opened the door. She left the house with her cat and called 911 as flames began
moving in the wood structure. "It just spread so quickly," said Tatro, who watched in tears from
her vantage point across the street, comforted by neighbors. Taftville Fire Chief Steve Caisse
said firefighters arrived to find the fire had traveled from the laundry room into the second-floor bedrooms
and attic. Caisse said the fire spread unchecked
because of the balloon-type construction and lack of fire breaks in the structure, built in the 1730s.
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Laundry Fire -
By Katjusa Cisar - The Capital Times (2/7/2007) |
MADISON, WI - An overheated clothes dryer vent pipe caused a fire Saturday
evening on Orchard Street that caused an estimated $30,000 in damages, according
to Madison fire investigators. All residents escaped safely, but the incident is prompting the Fire Department to remind
the public of the safety hazards a common household appliance like a clothes dryer can cause. The U.S. Consumer
Product Safety Commission blames clothes dryers for an estimated 15,500 fires a year. Combined, these fires leave in
their wake an average of 10 deaths, 310 injuries and more than $84.4 million in property damage. The department
suggests that the lint screen, dryer vent and wall behind the dryer be cleaned frequently.
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Clothes Dryer Fire Triggers School Evacuation -
Kansas City Star (2/6/2007) |
KANSAS CITY, MO - Students and staff members at Liberty High School were evacuated about noon today after
smoke was reported in one of the athletic locker rooms. Liberty fire officials were called and determined
that the smoke came from a clothes dryer in the basement of the
building, said school district spokesman Jim Dunn. Firefighters found and quickly put out the dryer
fire.
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Officials Blame Dryer for House Fire Near West Columbia -
By Chantelle Janelle - WIS TV 10 NBC Columbia (2/5/2007) |
WEST COLUMBIA, SC - A fire destroyed a home near West Columbia
Monday, and it appears to have started in a dryer. The blaze
happened in an Ermine Road home Monday afternoon. Lexington County Assistant Sheriff for Public Safety
Bruce E. Rucker says the call came about 1:55pm. Five Lexington County fire stations responded, along
with the Columbia Metropolitan Airport Crash and Rescue Unit and West Columbia Fire Department. But the
flames still caused $200,000 in damages to the two-story,
wood-frame home and its contents. No one was injured in the fire.
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Laundry Room Fire Leads to Evacuation -
By Rochelle Moore - Wilson Daily Times (1/31/2007) |
WILSON, NC - Twenty-six nursing home residents were evacuated from Avante at Wilson nursing home this
morning after a laundry room fire created smoke inhalation concerns. The fire created a flurry of
activity as Wilson police, Fire/Rescue Services, County Emergency Medical Services, Ambulance Service
and the Red Cross responded to help evacuate the residents, most of whom are in frail condition. In
addition to the evacuees, close to 34 nursing home residents were removed from the wing where the
fire sparked in a clothes dryer at about 8 a.m.
"Sometimes smoke inhalation is worse than fire," said Debra Page, Avante human resource director.
The fire started in a clothes dryer and was noticed by
nursing home workers who worked to quickly extinguish the fire.
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Dryer Cited as Source of Blaze in Biddeford -
By Seth Harkness - Portland Press Herald (1/30/2007) |
BIDDEFORD, ME - The fire that destroyed a four-unit apartment building on Center Street during the
weekend began in a clothes dryer on the first floor, state
investigators said Monday. Though no one was hurt, several residents said they lost all of
their possessions. The apartment building, which belongs to Tim Boardman of Scarborough,
was for sale at the time of the fire, listed at $275,000. Boardman said the
building is a total loss and the city has given him
two weeks to tear it down.
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House Fire Blamed on Clothes Dryer -
By Shelly Birkelo - Janesville Gazette (1/30/2007) |
JANESVILLE, WI - A second house fire in two days is prompting fire officials to remind people about the
importance of working smoke detectors. Firefighters were called to a ranch home at 3317
Turnberry Drive at 11 a.m. Monday for a fire that started in a
clothes dryer in the basement. Damages were
estimated at $45,000
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Dryer Blamed in Crestwood Fire -
By Jim Hook - Chicago Daily Southtown (1/29/2007) |
CRESTWOOD, IL - An overheated dryer sparked a fire that caused extensive
damage to a Crestwood home, fire officials said today. No one was injured in the blaze in the 100
block of Linder Court, Crestwood Fire Lt. Kevin McAuliffe said. The fire started in the laundry room of the
bi-level home, he said. The fire started about 8:45 p.m. and firefighters needed about an hour to
extinguish.
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Dryer Fire Ousts Family -
York Daily Record (1/27/2007) |
YORK, PA - A family of six is temporarily homeless after a clothing dryer caught fire, damaging
a home in York. The fire was reported at 10:29 p.m. Thursday in the 300 block of Albemarle Street, causing an estimated $8,000 in
damages. Naomi Edwards, another unnamed adult and four children were left homeless, fire
officials said.
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Plastic Reignites Dryer Fire, Damages Office Building -
By Jim Devine -Union Leader (1/25/2007) |
SALEM, NH - A four-alarm office building fire destroyed several businesses. Smoke and fire damage was
extensive throughout the second floor. Water damage was found throughout the first floor offices, fire
officials said. "It was originally called in as a dryer
fire," said Salem fire Chief Kevin Breen. Visage Day Spa & Skin Care owner Cindy Cabral said
she noticed flames behind the dryer in her second-floor business. After dumping vases of water over the
flames, she initially believed the fire was out. The fire then spread
into the walls, however. Chief Breen explained, "The fire caught on
the plastic behind the dryer, and it quickly moved into the concealed space and into the attic." Once the fire
reached the attic, it quickly spread to the far end of the building where the roof eventually collapsed." Breen said.
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Dryer May Be To Blame For LR House Fire -
By Scott Munsell - KATV Channel 7 (1/24/2007) |
LITTLE ROCK, AR - Fire officials say a faulty laundry dryer may be to blame for a late night fire at a home in Little
Rock. It happened just after 11:00 p.m. Tuesday night near the intersection of Younger Place and Granite
Mountain Circle. One of the residents reportedly went to the laundry to check on clothes and that's
when fire was seen coming from the back of the Dryer. The
blaze quickly spread throughout the home. When crews arrived on the
scene the house was fully engulfed. Fortunately, all five people inside were able to escape without injury.
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Dryer Fire Smoke Kills Sleeping Fox Lake Man -
Chicago Tribune (1/23/2007) |
CHICAGO, IL - A house fire killed a Fox Lake man who died of smoke inhalation
while asleep in the living room of his home, authorities said. The mid-morning fire in the 500 block of Circle Drive was
extinguished in about 20 minutes, Fox Lake Fire Department Assistant Chief Ed Lescher said. Thomas Hogan, 70,
was pronounced dead at the scene. The fire began in a clothing
dryer near the kitchen of the one-story wood-frame house, authorities said. Lake County Coroner Richard
Keller said Hogan died of accidental carbon monoxide poisoning. "It looks like he laid down for a nap in the
morning and just didn't wake up," Keller said.
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Dryer Fire Forces Evacuation of Treatment Center -
Associated Press (1/23/2007) |
FARGO, N.D. - A fire in a dryer forced more than 50 people to leave a substance
abuse treatment center here. Supervisors at Centre Inc., discovered the fire in the first-floor laundry room, and tried unsuccessfully
to put it out with fire extinguishers, Assistant Fire Chief Larry Schuh said. Firefighters were called to the blaze at
8:26 p.m. Fifty-six people were evacuated to another building just to the north, also owned by Centre Inc., while firefighters
extinguished the fire, Schuh said. Fire damage was reported in the laundry room, and smoke damage on the first two floors of the building, he said.
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Apartment Fire Blamed on Nest in Dryer Vent -
Reading Eagle (1/20/2007) |
GILBERTSVILLE, PA - A bird's nest lodged in a clothing dryer vent caused a fire that sent six people scurrying into
frigid air Saturday afternoon. "The nest prevented the dryer from exhausting, and the clothes caught fire,"
Gilbertsville Fire Chief Rick Smith said. The fire caused extensive damage to the apartment building. About
50 firefighters from a half-dozen Montgomery and Berks companies had the fire under control within a half-hour,
but spent nearly three hours at the scene.
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Fire Prompts Bakery's Closure -
Whittier Daily News (1/19/2007) |
SANTA FE SPRINGS, CA -Dozens of bakery workers were evacuated for about two hours Friday after a small fire that officials said was confined to a
clothes dryer. The dryer in the maintenance room at the Goldilocks Corp. commercial bakery, 10329 Painter Ave., caught fire at about
10:30 a.m. No one was injured, said Santa Fe Springs Fire Department Chief Scott Goodwin.
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Dryer Fire Destroys Sumner Home -
By Brandon Puttbrese - Tennessean News Examiner (1/10/2007) |
SUMNER COUNTY, TN - About 15 volunteer firefighters battled a blaze for three hours Tuesday at a one-story home in Sumner
County. Fire Chief Jason Birdwell of the Oak Grove Volunteer Fire Station said strong wind and sporadic snowfall
complicated the departments’ efforts. Birdwell said it appeared the fire had
started in a dryer in the home’s laundry room. The owners were
not at home when the fire started. The house sustained damage from
end to end, and blue skies were visible through the gaping hole where a roof should have been. All that appeared to be left of its midsection were burned walls and a floor.
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Dryer Caused Townhouse Blaze -
By Ron Brown - Lynchburg News and Advance (1/10/2007) |
LYNCHBURG, VA - A clothes dryer malfunctioned, overheated and caught fire Monday
night sparking a blaze in several Tenbury Drive townhomes. And, authorities believe a dryer was responsible for another fire in
Bedford County on Tuesday morning. Moneta Fire Chief Jack Arrington said a Little Creek Road residence suffered smoke
and water damage in an 11:30 a.m. blaze. The fire started in the vicinity of the dryer. A study commissioned by the United
States Consumer Product Safety Commission in 2001 found that clothes dryers in general can be dangerous if not properly
maintained. In 1996 alone, dryers were responsible for 15,500 fires, 20 deaths, 320 injuries and $84.4 million in
residential property damage nationwide. Lint in the lint screen and external vent system can be particularly
dangerous, the study said. On Monday night, a malfunctioning dryer damaged a total of three townhouses
at Tenbury Square.
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Sprinklers Douse Flames At Embassy Suites -
Firefighting News.com (1/9/2007) |
SAN LUIS OBISPO, CA - A fire in a clothes dryer at the Embassy Suites Hotel early Monday was caused by
overheating of the unit, firefighters determined. The fire activated an overhead sprinkler system that kept
the fire from spreading, said Battalion Chief Tom Zeulner of the San Luis Obispo Fire Department. Guests
left the hotel just after 1 a.m. after fire alarms and remained in the parking lot until the fire was out.
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Laundry Dryer Sparks Blaze that Injures L.B. Firefighter -
By Tomio Geron - Long Beach Press Telegram (1/6/2007) |
LONG BEACH - A Saturday morning fire in a single-family house apparently caused
by a laundry dryer caused minor injuries to a firefighter, authorities said. The Long Beach Fire Department
received a call at 11:22 a.m. to the residence at 15th Street and Locust Avenue, said Capt. Jim Arvizu, department
spokesperson. Firefighters arrived and found the kitchen and porch in the back of the house "fully involved
in fire," Capt. Jim Arvizu, department spokesperson said. A family of four was displaced, he said. The
house and the family's possessions had extensive damage - estimated
at $100,000 - from fire and smoke, he said. One firefighter suffered minor burns to his face and
was treated and released at Long Beach Memorial Medical Center, Arvizu said.
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Officials say appliance may have caused fire -
Rosenberg Herald Coaster (1/5/2007) |
ROSENBURG,TX - Fire officials believe that a household appliance inside a Richmond mobile home was the source of a
blaze that completely destroyed the residence and all of its contents Thursday. The fire started shortly before
noon at 1901 George Ave. Fire Marshal Robert Haas said the fire likely
started in a clothes dryer that was in use or had recently been in
use. When Richmond and Rosenberg fire units arrived, heavy flames were coming from the room where the
dryer was located. Firefighters were able to extinguish the blaze within minutes, but the trailer
home was not salvageable.
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2006 Dryer Fire Articles
All excerpts are copyright protected property of their respective sources and are provided solely for informational alert purposes.
Please see the original media outlet for complete details.
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