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Clothes Dryer Fire - Close to home


Mike Lamb

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Last night, my daughter spent the night at a friends. Their clothes dryer caught fire in the basement. Mostly everyone was sleeping except for the Mom who was doing the laundry. They had a smoke detector in the laundry room so everyone got out and the fire dept. got there quick enough to keep the fire damage to a minimum. The firemen said it was a very close call.

It looks like this fire started at the blower motor. Thank God for smoke detectors and the people who use them. This fire was not tragic but I can’t help thinking that I could have been picking up a dead little girl this morning.

I asked if I could take pictures. When I was snapping shots, the mom said, "I think the clothes are dry."

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I stripped mine to the drum last weekend and pulled unbeleivable amonts of lint off the bottom of the machine, the motor housing, the blower housing, and scariest of all, the gas valve and burner assembly.

My had wife dried a chenille duvet cover that took several cycles and she emptied the lint trap twice for each. I tossed in a load the next day and could smell the smoke as soon as I turned the thing on.

I'm glad it was just a load of laundry that lost its life.

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I write up corrugated vent connectors on the back of dryers daily as "Dangerous dryer duct connectors." I've been doing it ever since CPSC first sent out an alert about them in 1998. You'd think by now they'd get it but realtors still constantly scoff about it when I stick that comment in a report.

Real glad nobody was hurt.

ONE TEAM - ONE FIGHT!!!

Mike

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