Roommates, have you ever recently put aside a pile of laundry and forgotten about it for a while? Well, this practice recently led to a house fire in Burlington, North Carolina!
Warm clothes can be dangerous if left unattended!
The accident occurred in the early hours of Tuesday, November 29. Shortly after midnight, the Burlington Fire Department responded to a fire alarm and detected smoke coming from a home, according to one report. press release.
Upon discovering that the homeowner was off, the authorities forced their way inside to deal with the matter.
“The firefighters were forced into the house due to the homeowner being on the job, put the fire in the bedroom and put it out. Searches were also carried out to make sure there were no occupants. It took the firefighters about 15 minutes to make sure the fire was completely extinguished with no spots hot.”
The statement then addressed the cause of the eyebrow-raising fire: an unattended pile of clothes.
Specifically, the fire was started “because of laundry that had become very hot” that had been left on the bed.
“The cause of the fire was determined to be accidental due to laundry which had become very hot from the clothes dryer and was removed from the dryer into the bedroom. Smoke from the clothes then caught fire which set clothes and furniture on fire.”
In all, the Fire Department reported that there was about $30,000 in damage. Fortunately, further damage was averted thanks to the home’s functional fire alarm system.
Damage to the structure is estimated at $20,000 and $10,000 to the contents. This fire highlights the usefulness of a monitored fire alarm system, which resulted in a
A quick dispatch of the fire department reduced the damage to the house.”
Most laundry fires are caused by built-up lint
While this particular situation is certainly an odd one, dryer fires are by no means uncommon.
According to the US Fire Department (USFA), thousands of dryers catch fire each year, the main cause being lint buildup and eventually burning.
The USFA notes that cleaning and maintenance is critical, and it also recommends that you never leave your dryer running before bed or leaving the house.
So, while the North Carolina laundry fire was on the more unusual side, people have a very real risk of causing a dryer fire if they fail to clean the lint trap regularly. In addition, it is important to clean the dryer’s vent and exhaust duct regularly.
Clean the dryer’s lint filter after each use. Periodically clean the exhaust pipe of the dryer. https://t.co/r6cirsIpIr
US Consumer Product Safety Commission (USCPSC) December 1, 2022
#WeekendChallenge Take a look outside at your dryer vent exhaust, if you’ve never cleaned it it might look like this… Lint buildup can easily start a fire in your home, clean it up today. pic.twitter.com/x0yMNoKuob
Midland Fire Department. November 26, 2022
What do you think of the story, and are you going to make any changes to your laundry routine now?
