 |
| Dryer lint blamed for Southeastside house
fire - By Kristi Tedesco, KVOA Tuczon, AZ (12/24/2004) |
Fire gutted a Tucson home Thursday night. You might be surprised
to hear, the family dryer is to blame. The Tucson Fire Department
works about half a dozen dryer fires every month. Firefighters
say the big problem is the lint. Even if you clean the lint
tray, some of it always escapes into the machine. It's a highly
flammable material that caught fire Thursday night in a Southeastside
home. There was $40,000 damage. According to the Tucson Fire
Department Chief, Randy Ogden, "The
lint caught on fire, went into the hose and got into
the bed where the clothes are." Eyewitness News 4 went
to Home Depot for tips on dryer fire safety. We found out that
you can help prevent this type of fire by using a fire resistant
exterior hose. It looks like aluminum foil. Fire Captain Paul
McDonough says you should "have a nice, clear opening.
If (the hose is) not as straight as possible, and it has to
turn, then things like that lint can get stuck around the corners
and that creates a fire hazard." The supervisor at Home
Depot says that you should monitor your dryer like any other
electrical appliance. Terry Dee says, "You wouldn't put
a turkey in your oven and leave the house. Good advice would
be... Don't throw a load of laundry in your dryer and then leave
the house." Experts say that you should clean the lint
out of your dryer and vents once or twice a year. If you don't
want to do it yourself, it's recommended you call a professional.
|
| 10 Children, 3 Adults Escape House Fire-
By First
Coast News (12/21/2004) |
JACKSONVILLE, FL -- Ten children and three adults had to stay
at a neighbor's home after a fire broke out in their home on
the Northside last night. Fire investigators say the fire
started because of "lint" left in the dryer.
Everyone was able to get out of the house okay. The children
in the home range in age from 10-months to 14-years old. Firefighters
were able to give them a bag of toys they had collected. Investigators
say the fire caused $20,000 worth of damage. |
| Busy 2 days for L.B. firefighters - Monday
blazes could have been prevented - By PressTelegram.com
(12/20/2004) |
LONG BEACH — A series of fires kept Long Beach firefighters
busy Sunday and Monday, and many of them could have been avoided
had proper precautions been taken, authorities warned. The
first fire broke out at about 2:45 p.m. Sunday at 15th Street
and Redondo Avenue in a detached, single-car garage,
said Long Beach Fire Battalion Chief Mike Garcia. A dryer had
been running unattended when something went wrong within the
burner on the lint screen, Garcia said. Although the Fire Department
was able to put the fire down quickly before it could spread
to the home, the garage and the brand new Jeep Cherokee inside
were destroyed, Garcia said. "This fire underscores the
importance of checking and cleaning the lint screen," he
said. Shortly after 5 p.m. a second fire started in the living
room of an apartment at Second Street and Redondo Avenue. The
woman who lives in the apartment noticed the flames as she was
standing in a neighbor's apartment, Garcia said. She had left
candles burning on a table in the living room and when her Christmas
tree fell over, it knocked the candles to the ground, igniting
the tree and couch. Firefighters were able to snuff the flames
quickly and keep the damage to a minimum, as well as find the
woman's two cats, who were unhurt. Garcia said that candles
are extremely popular during the holiday season, and residents
should remember to extinguish all candles whenever they leave
their home. On Monday, firefighters were called to a home in
the 50 block of West Pleasant Street in North Long Beach after
a fire started in a crawl space above the garage. Family members
called 911 after the father returned home from taking some of
his kids to school and noticed the flames, said Firefighter
Paul Rodriguez. Remaining family members were able to get out
of the house safely, but the father suffered some first-degree
burns when he tried to put out the fire with a garden hose,
Rodriguez said. He was treated at the scene for his injuries.
Later on Monday, a fire in an apartment destroyed a family's
Christmas presents. When crews arrived at 6043 Linden Ave.,
there was thick smoke and heavy flames burning inside the home.
Although they were able to squelch the blaze fairly quickly,
all of the family's presents were destroyed. "Everything
they saved up for is gone." Rodriguez said. "The Red
Cross was dispatched to provide shelter for the night, and we're
going to see what we can do to get some toys for Christmas through
our Spark of Love campaign." |
| Accidental ignition results in lint fire
- By D.R. Bahlman, The Berkshire Eagle (11/10/2004) |
PITTSFIELD, MA -- A plumber's accidental
ignition of dryer lint started a fire that caused smoke
damage throughout a house on Pinto Drive yesterday morning.
The lint was set alight as the plumber, who was not identified
in Fire Department reports, replaced a water shutoff valve at
11 Pinto Drive, a house owned by John Berger. The fire extended
up the wall of the laundry room to the ceiling before it was
located and extinguished, officials said. The plumber suffered
"minor" smoke inhalation, for which he did not require
medical treatment yesterday, said Deputy Fire Chief Kenneth
Spaniol. No other injuries were reported in the fire, which
was reported at 9:28 a.m. |
| Clothes dryer sparks fire on Olive Street
- By Columbia Daily Tribune (10/29/2004) |
A defective clothes
dryer is suspected of a sparking house fire Wednesday
afternoon at 2605 Olive Street in northeast Columbia. Firefighters
suppressed fire coming from a window at the rear of the house
within three to five minutes, Battalion Chief Steve Sapp said
in a news release. The occupants told investigators that earlier
in the afternoon they had dried some clothes and that the machine
began to smoke. They turned it off, checked for fire and opened
doors and windows to clear the smoke. Believing that there was
no longer any fire, they then left the residence to run errands.
When they returned about 30 to 45 minutes later, they discovered
the fire and called 911. No injuries were reported, but the
fire spread to the kitchen and created heat and smoke damage
throughout the home. |
| Dryer fire causes smoke damage - By Kate
Sullivan Foley/ Correspondent (09/24/2004) |
A burned out dryer sitting outside 19 School Ave. told the story
of a dinnertime fire Monday night. A call reporting the one-alarm
fire came into the Stoughton Fire Department at 5:50 p.m., according
to Stoughton Fire Department's Deputy Fire Chief Douglas Campbell.
Because the original 911 call was placed from a cell phone,
the call went directly to the state police. The state police
immediately referred the call to Stoughton, but according Campbell,
respond time was slightly impeded. "People need to be aware
that there is a delay involved in dialing 911 from a cell phone,"
said Campbell. "If at all possible, one should go to a
neighbor's house and call 911. The call comes directly to Stoughton
and any delay is avoided." Residents inside the two-apartment
home were alerted to the fire by smoke detectors. Everyone was
able to get out of the home before firefighters arrived and
there were no injuries. "The families were very fortunate
in this because the fire didn't extend further due to the early
notification from the smoke alarms," said Campbell. The
fire was confined to
the dryer but caused extensive smoke damage throughout
the house. Campbell added that the fire appeared to be accidental,
but is still under investigation by Stoughton Fire Department.
|
| Two Die In Local Mobile Home Fire - Officials
Say A Dryer Caught Fire - By WXII12.com (07/21/2004) |
ROCKINGHAM COUNTY, N.C. -- Two people died in an early morning
fire Wednesday in Rockingham County. The fire gutted a mobile
home in a rural area off Highway 220. Kendall Tilley, 34, and
Christopher McClemore, 22, were both killed. Deputies said a
dryer, which contained
too much lint, caught fire. Investigators said they are
not sure if smoke detectors were working in the house. Tilley
has an 8-year-old daugher. She was not home at the time of the
fire, according to investigators. |
| Proper dryer maintenance prevents fires
- By Jessica Beym, For the Cherry Hill Courier Post (06-27-2004) |
Lint buildup and improper venting are safety hazards. The odds
may be in your favor. But using that as an excuse to not properly
maintain your clothes dryer could have devastating - even fatal
- consequences, experts say. "Most of the time, it'll never
happen," said Rocky Ferrara, owner of Appliance Rescue
Service in West Deptford. "But if there's a malfunction
in the dryer and it overheats, or if the heating coil goes bad,
it could ignite the lint and you'll have big problems."
About 15,500 fires each
year are sparked by dryer-related causes, according to
the Consumer Product Safety Commission. They result in an average
of 10 deaths, 310 injuries and more than $84 million in property
damage. Two such incidents happened in South Jersey last month.
Lint buildup in the exhaust line of a clothes dryer sparked
a house fire in Woodbury, and an 8-year-old boy died in a Burlington
City house fire that authorities also say started in a dryer.
The two most common
problems are lint buildup and improper venting, said
Scott Wolfson, spokesman for the CPSC. Heated air in the dryer
picks up moisture from the clothes, as well as lint, and carries
it through a vent to be released outside. If the lint screen
and vents are not properly maintained, the flow of hot air can
become blocked and possibly cause a fire. Lint accumulates on
a dryer's components even after one use, experts say. Ferrara
said he and his repair crews have seen their share of close
calls while doing routine maintenance, with some dryers having
1-inch-thick layers of lint throughout the appliance. The location
of the dryer and how it is vented also can affect its safety.
If it is in the basement, a fire could get into the walls and
go undetected, said William Rieger, Gloucester County's fire
marshal. Many household dryers are located in laundry rooms
in the center of the house. In order to release the hot air,
the ductwork has to be longer with possibly more twists and
turns, which increases the chance of lint buildup, experts say.
All-metal vents or ducts help direct the airflow outside the
home more efficiently then flexible vents. Plastic, vinyl or
aluminum ducts are flammable and can trap lint in crevices,
according to Underwriters Laboratories, which tests and certifies
dryers and other appliances. Another problem is that most laundry
rooms are filled with combustible items such as cleaning fluids,
Rieger said. Clothing soiled by flammable material, such as
cooking oil, also can be dangerous, Rieger said. The flammable
material can emit vapors that can ignite when it comes in contact
with the heat of a dryer. "In most cases, people just don't
know what to do," Ferrara said. DRYER SAFETY Clean the
lint filter before or after each use. Wipe away lint that has
accumulated around the drum. Do not leave the dryer running
when you are not there. Make sure the air exhaust vent pipe
is unobstructed and the outdoor vent flap opens readily. Keep
combustible items such as cleaning fluids away from the outside
of the dryer. Have your dryer vents inspected and cleaned annually.
,7 Source: National Fire Protection Association THERE MAY BE
A PROBLEM IF . . . Your dryer is noisier than usual. Clothes
are taking longer than usual to dry. Clothes feel hotter than
usual at the end of a cycle. |
| Dryer lint triggers home fire - By Carrie
Watters, Rockford Register Star (06/26/2004) |
LOVES PARK -- A family escaped unharmed when fire erupted in
their basement Friday afternoon, but a woman suffered minor
injuries when her car collided with a television cameraman's
vehicle apparently leaving the scene. Events started around
1 p.m. Friday when fire sparked in the basement of a home in
the 900 block of Merrill Avenue. The dryer had stopped, and
when homeowner Carol Niday restarted it, flames shot out, apparently
caused by lint buildup
that caused the dryer to overheat, said Loves Park Fire
Department Chief Phil Foley. Niday reported the fire. Flames
were coming out the basement windows when firefighters arrived,
Foley said. Niday escaped uninjured. Her husband Don and three
teenage children arrived home to find a house filled with firefighters.
Firefighters helped rescue two of three cats, Kiki and Dolly.
The Niday children cried as Daren was carried from the home.
The cat was in the basement and did not survive. |
| Firefighters respond to two blazes - By
Casper Star Tribune (06/25/2004) |
The Casper Fire Department responded to two structure fires
on Thursday morning, according to a news release from the fire
department. Fire destroyed a detached shed and its contents
at 1137 Elma Street about 9 a.m. Twenty minutes later, city
fire units were called to 4360 Valley Drive about reports of
a dryer on fire in the basement of the residence. The fire was
contained to the dryer, which ignited
because of a buildup of lint in the dryer vent, officials
said. The Casper Fire department reminds people to clean dryer
vents to prevent lint buildup, which can cause fires. |
| Dryer left running causes house fire-
By News 14 Carolina (06/25/2004) |
CHARLOTTE, N.C. – A dryer left running overnight sparked a house
fire on Sharon Amity Road that caused $30,000 in damages Friday
morning. The fire started just before 5 a.m. Firefighters were
able to put the fire out quickly, and no one was injured. The
woman living in the home smelled smoke and saw flames coming
from the back of the house. She got out and called 911. Firefighters
say the fire started in the dryer. The fire caused $30,000
in damages. "Sometimes it's not the best idea to go to
bed with the dryer on," said Battalion Chief Tom Link,
who went on to say that people should also be careful not to
leave the oven or stove on after cooking in the evening. "If
you do any type of cooking you need to make sure everything
is off before you go to bed," he said. "While you're
cooking, carry a potholder or wooden spoon in your back pocket
to let you know you have something in the kitchen you need to
take care of before you go to bed." |
| Overnight fire destroys Kentwood mobile
home - Kentwood MI
(06/24/2004) |
An overnight fire has destroyed a home in Kentwood. The fire
ripped through the mobile home in the 4900 block of Madison
around midnight. It appears the trouble started in the dryer;
although, investigators are trying to determine what sparked
that fire. There were people in the home at the time of the
fire. They were able to make it out okay. |
| Ohio man dies in afternoon house fire
- By David E. Malloy, The Herald-Dispatch (06/19/2004) |
ROCK CAMP, Ohio -- A 68-year-old Lawrence Township man
was killed in a fatal fire Thursday afternoon. Charles
Gill Brace Jr. of 4217 County Road 6 never made it out of his
two-story brick house when a fire broke out about 3:08 p.m.
Thursday. Fire officials found his body in the basement of his
home a little after 1 a.m. Friday. Brace was well known to a
number of people in the county. He delivered milk for his father’s
dairy to hundreds of people in Coal Grove and in rural Lawrence
County, said Juanita Markel, a Coal Grove resident who graduated
with him in 1955 at Coal Grove. With his Tennessee walker horse,
Brace was also a familiar figure at the Lawrence County Fair.
"He was one of the nicest people you would ever want to
meet," said County Commissioner George Patterson. "We’d
talk to him three or four times a week." Brace worked for
a time at Western Southern Life, but spent much of his time
in recent years restoring antique furniture, Markel said. The
cause of the fire is undetermined and remains under investigation,
said Bob Lawless, a state fire marshal. Brace’s wife, Sandra,
made it out of the house with the help of a neighbor, he said.
Lawrence Township Fire Chief Phil Hardy said the
fire probably started in a clothes dryer in the basement.
"He was probably overcome by smoke and toxic fumes,"
Hardy said. Volunteer fire departments from Lawrence, Aid and
Perry Township and the village of Coal Grove responded to the
blaze. There were about 35 firefighters at the scene, Hardy
said. A Perry Township tanker truck responding to the fire call
overturned several miles from the scene and sustained considerable
damage, said Larry Anderson, an assistant chief. The fire truck
was about 25 years old, he said. No one was hurt in the accident,
he said. |
| Firefighters douse condo fire quickly
- By Billy Bruce, Staff Writer Marco Island Eagle (06/16/2004) |
Responders alerted by Somerset's alarm system. It took three
local departments just nine minutes to extinguish a fire in
an unoccupied unit at the Somerset Condominiums on June 14,
Marco Fire Department Lt. Donnie Jones said. The fire began
in a washer and dryer at 10:50 a.m. and was under control by
10:59 a.m. Seven firefighters from Marco Island, four from Isles
of Capri and four from East Naples responded to the scene at
780 S. Collier Blvd., Jones said. Residents who live in unit
209, where the fire occurred, were out of town. The condominium's
use of updated alarm technology helped protect Somerset's residents
from what could have been a much more serious situation, Jones
said. Somerset has 112 living units in 10 stories with a penthouse
on top. The fire started
in a kitchen area inside a laundry
closet where the washer and dryer were located, Jones
said. Although enclosed in a closet, the fire sent enough heat
to the kitchen ceiling to set off the automatic sprinkler. That,
in turn, turned on a water pump that set off a flow alarm. The
flow alarm activated an automatic dialer that sends location
information to 911 emergency control in Naples, Jones said.
Firefighters and condominium management evacuated residents
as a precaution, Jones said. "When firefighters arrived,
the smoke had banked all the way down to the floor in the unit,
so they really couldn't see until they ventilated the place,"
Jones said. "The flames didn't burn through any walls,
and the fire stayed pretty much on the appliances. The washer
and dryer were a total loss." No injuries were reported
in the fire. Three condo units suffered smoke damage and one
unit had water damage from the sprinkler's flow, Jones said.
"Had the sprinkler been located in a better location in
the kitchen, it may have been able to put this fire out before
we ever got there," Jones said. "Fortunately, the
alarm systems worked well." Marco Island fire Marshal John
Burback and two Marco fire inspectors were trying to determine
the damage estimate, Jones said. |
| Pooch earns high praise after house blaze
- By Dena Sloan, Globe Staff Writer (06/12/2004) |
GOODMAN, Mo. - Jennifer Patrick wasn't thrilled the day her
niece gave her family Oddie, a small, excitable, mixed-breed
dog that doesn't always exert total control over her bladder.
Two months later, Patrick swears she'll treat Oddie like a queen.
The little dog was the first one awake early Thursday morning
as flames tore through the small frame house Patrick shared
with her four children, ages 5 through 14. Oddie woke up Cella,
Patrick's 5-year-old daughter, who roused her mother from bed.
Moments later, the family members were standing outside the
house at 20751 Gateway Drive in their pajamas, watching fire
demolish almost everything they owned. "It's the most devastating
feeling, standing in your yard watching your house burn down,"
Patrick said Friday. Fire departments from Goodman, Neosho and
Seneca responded to the fire about 3:30 a.m. Thursday. Officials
believe the fire broke
out around a dryer in the house's utility room. Smoke
was still rising from the heap late Friday morning as swings
on a nearby swing set rocked gently in the wind. A small above-ground
pool and plastic toys were still in the yard. Neighbors said
the flames lit the sky as they watched firetrucks race to the
scene. "It was burning so hot, I don't know how they got
it out," said Al Schleuter, who could see the fire from
the front porch of his home at 20872 Gateway Drive. Though almost
all of the family's belongings were destroyed - some items were
stored in another small building on the property - Patrick said
it's hard to accept donations. As a single parent, she's used
to taking care of her family by herself. But she knows she needs
to get used to accepting the gifts and contributions that friends
have been offering. An offer of furniture recently came in from
Joplin, relatives immediately rounded up extra clothing, and
strangers have taken Patrick's contact information with promises
of help. Friday brought a small delight - money from her father
to buy her own shoes. "You don't realize how many friends
you have until something happens," she said. "They've
just been calling out of the woodwork." Patrick was five
years away from paying off her now-destroyed house, and she
carried only the minimum required insurance, which won't cover
the cost of their belongings. Regardless, Patrick said she feels
lucky that she and her children were able to get out of the
house with plenty of time to spare. "I guess God knew we
could live without that house, but we couldn't live without
each other," she said. |
| Lucky to be alive - By Roland Hughes Bangor
Mail, North Wales (06/09/2004) |
A FIRE alarm engineer has been branded a hero after saving his
neighbors from a blaze in their home in the early hours. Only
through chance was Mali Davies at hand to rescue Ronnie and
Linda Roberts from their fire-hit home last weekend. Mali fought
his way through acrid smoke in the kitchen to wake the couple,
who say they would have died without his and friends' help.
A tumble dryer has been
blamed for the fire, which spilled out toxic fumes into
the bottom floor of the house in Orme View, Bangor. Mali and
friends Jason Clark and Wayne Hughes were at the back of his
house, drinking in the early hours, when they smelled smoke........
Fire Service press officer Bethan Davies said: "If there
had been a smoke alarm, then the occupiers would have been alerted
sooner, and a call to the Fire and Rescue Service made earlier.
"We are encouraging all occupiers to install at least one
smoke alarm in their property and maintain it regularly by testing
the battery once a week and changing it at least once a year." Article
shorted for this page viewing. |
| Fire inflicts $400,000 damage on Atwater
house - By Cheri Carlson Merced, Sun-Star (06/07/2004) |
ATWATER -- "Get everyone out of the house." That was
Victor Herrera's first thought when he smelled smoke inside
his Atwater home Sunday evening. And that's just what he did.
He got his daughter and three other children living in the home
outside, then called 911 from his cell phone. The call came
in at 5:49 p.m., and both the Merced County and Atwater City
fire departments responded to the home on Rene Court. Seven
engines, two water tenders and 20 firefighters fought the flames
as dozens of neighbors crowded lawns and driveways nearby. Herrera
stood across the street from his home of two years, next to
his daughter. They watched the fire consume their house, where
the family also runs a child day-care service. The roof was
destroyed and the interior gutted within an hour of the fire
starting. No one was injured in the blaze and firefighters said
it was contained by 7 p.m., even though they continued to fight
small fires inside the residence. Mark Lawson, fire captain
specialist with Merced County, said damages would be about $400,000.
Firefighters saved the neighboring homes and an auto parked
outside. Also saved was the family dog, Lilo, tied up in the
back yard. The cause of the fire is under investigation, Lawson
said, but Herrera said he
believes the fire started in the dryer. From there, it
spread quickly, aided by wind and an empty attic. Jessica Esau
was driving nearby when she saw the gray smoke hanging above
the neighborhood. A pet groomer, Esau has previously taken in
dogs and cats in emergencies, and said she drove over to Rene
Court just in case the family needed her help. It turned out
they did. Esau will board Lilo until the family can take him
back. Herrera said he wasn't sure what he and the rest of his
family would do. Eight people live in the large home, neighbors
said, though not all of them were in town Sunday. Some of his
neighbors offered Herrera, his daughter and the three children
a place to stay. The Red Cross also was expected to provide
aid. |
| Home gutted by fire - By Robert Moore,
Citizen Tribune Staff Writer (05/25/2004) |
Hamblen County volunteer firefighters could do little more than
stand and watch as a fire raged through a home on Wylie Miller
Road in the Southern Heights subdivision early Monday afternoon.
A low-income extended family of five is homeless and destitute
today after a catastrophic fire destroyed their home in the
Southern Heights subdivision of Hamblen County Monday afternoon.
"We were about to lose the house, and now this happens,"
said bleary-eyed homeowner Charles Stephens as he watched his
house burn from a neighbor's porch. Stephens says his wife,
son, grandson and niece he's raising subsist on two monthly
disability checks of $564. His wife, Brenda, says she has no
valid reason to believe they have fire insurance. She says they'd
been making partial payments on fire insurance, but the last
partial payment was approximately four months late. "We
had some money problems," said Brenda Stephens, who added
she and her husband had raised five of her grandchildren and
five of her husband's grandchildren. Mrs. Stephens says their
clothes dryer, which
was stored in the bathroom, caught fire, and the blaze
quickly consumed the entire home. She says approximately 15
minutes after she'd put wet clothes into the dryer, a family
member smelled smoke. When she opened the bathroom door, she
saw flames licking the bathroom ceiling. Mrs. Stephens said
the blaze flared when she opened the bathroom door and oxygen
blew through the room between the open window and door. "It
scared me," she said. "That's the reason I couldn't
find the phone. I had to push a button to find my home."
She escaped the smoke-filled structure with her life, her family,
her purse and nothing else. "I don't even have a pair of
shoes," Mrs. Stephens said. "I wasn't able to put
them on or nothing." Mr. and Mrs. Stephens and five children
escaped unharmed as a plume of black smoke, visible for miles,
rose in the sky. All volunteer firefighters could do was prevent
the fire from spreading a nearby wooded area and making a terrible
situation worse. "When we got here, it was fully involved
in flames, shooting through the roof," said Jeff Smith,
captain of the South Hamblen County Volunteer Fire Department.
A total of approximately 25 firefighters from all four Hamblen
County volunteer units were on the scene at the height of the
blaze. The Stephens say they plan to live temporarily at Mr.
Stephens mother's home on nearby Rippetoe Avenue in the Southern
Heights subdivision. |
| Putnam community comes to deputy's aid-
By Terry Corcoran, The Journal News (05/24/2004) |
MAHOPAC FALLS — Gerry Damon has always been one to help others,
whether on the job as a Putnam County sheriff's deputy or off
the job. Last year, on his own time, he came to the aid of a
disabled man who was being harassed by five other men. Perhaps,
then, it's little surprise that the community is rallying around
Damon and his family after they lost their home and possessions
in a fire last week. "A fire like this one, one that destroys
a family's home and all their possessions, is always a terrible
occurrence," Sheriff Donald B. Smith said. "This event
has hit our department especially hard because it has happened
to one of our own." Smith said that Damon's colleagues
in the department are rallying around him and that he has received
many calls from residents, business, civic groups and military
veterans expressing concern for the family and offering support.
Damon, who formed the department's bagpipe band, is a veteran
of the U.S. Marine Corps and the U.S. Army. "The public
outpouring has really been heartening," Smith said. As
such, friends of the family have established a fund to help
the Damons. Those wishing to make a donation may make checks
payable to the "Damon Family Fund" and mail them to
the Putnam County Sheriff's Police Benevolent Association, P.O.
Box 182, Carmel, NY 10512. In addition, Senior Investigator
Patrick M. Castaldo said he is trying to set up an oldies show
to benefit the Damon family. Castaldo, as an Elvis Presley impersonator
who performs with his band, All the King's Men, said planning
for the event is in the early stages. "We're trying to
get something together for a show," he said. "Deputy
Damon is a great guy and it's horrible what happened to him."
The fire at the Damons' home off Route 6N in Mahopac Falls started
in a clothes dryer and spread through the split-level
home. It was reported around 7:38 a.m. May 17, and roughly 35
firefighters from Mahopac Falls, Mahopac and Lake Mohegan spent
more than four hours fighting the fire and cleaning up afterward.
No one was injured in the blaze. |
| Dennisport family copes with disaster
- By Nicole Muller / nmuller@cnc.com, The Register (05/20/2004) |
Fire blamed on clothes dryer. An American flag still flies beside
the front door, and a picnic table sits in the back yard. But
the home of Jonathan and Shirley Welsh and their 12-year-old
daughter Hillery, at 106 School St., West Dennis, was destroyed
by fire in the early morning hours last Thursday. The
fire started in a clothes dryer in the basement. The
family escaped unharmed, but lost one of their three dogs in
the blaze and another was euthanized after suffering lung damage.
The family's cat, Bailey, escaped by jumping out a window. An
indoor pet, his homing instincts brought him back to the house
later that morning. Except for singed fur, Bailey was unharmed.
The Dennis Fire Department received the 911 call at 11:48 p.m.,
and the police were notified at 11:53 p.m. Wednesday, May 12.
"I could smell the fire even before I passed the West Dennis
Congregational Church [on Route 28]," said acting Chief
of Police Bill Monahan. "That told me it was a major fire."
Dennis Fire Inspector Bob Tucker says the source of the fire
was quickly traced to a clothes dryer. "Shirley said she
was using the dryer about 11:30 p.m., and about 20 minutes later
Jonathan noticed smoke coming from under the basement door.
Shirley said she heard a crackling sound, and when Jonathan
opened the cellar door and saw an orange glow, he grabbed Hillery
out of her bed and helped her out the door. A neighbor called
911." The Dennis Fire Department was short-staffed at the
time because of a medical emergency on the west side. "We
called Yarmouth and Harwich for assistance because of the magnitude
of the fire. It was a difficult fire to fight because of the
contents of the basement and the house. He [Jonathan] worked
on motorcycles, so there were lots of combustible materials
in the house," Tucker said. The fire quickly rose to the
first floor, destroying most of the home's contents, although
a few antiques and collectibles were salvaged. "The
clothes dryer had lint buildup and was improperly vented.
We couldn't identify the type or make of the dryer because it
was so old," Tucker said. "And there were no batteries
in the smoke detectors." Jonathan Welsh's mother, Marjorie,
said Monday that her son has just finished a seven-year bout
with lung cancer. "It's a tragedy, and they have no insurance,
which makes it even worse," she said. "Jonathan wasn't
working because of his lung disease. Shirley's mother, Margaret
Hallet, owns the house, which has no mortgage, and my son couldn't
afford homeowner's insurance." One of Welsh's brothers
came from Rhode Island and another from Mashpee to help board
up the house. "My daughter, Susie, came from Woonsocket
and handed me $500 to give to Jonathan. She isn't rich, but
she felt she had to help her brother," Marjorie said. Jonathan
Welsh, friends and family spent Sunday and Monday sifting through
the debris, searching for any salvageable belongings. "There's
not much left of our lives," he said. "But we still
have each other, and for that, we are grateful." Members
of the Pilgrim Congregational Church in Harwich have reached
out to the family with donations. The Red Cross supplied vouchers
for the Welshes to stay four nights at the Ramada Inn in Hyannis.
Monday, the family moved into a cottage on Marjorie Welsh's
property in Harwich. |
| Dryer fire leads to $30,000 damages -
By News-Messenger Reports (04/28/2004) |
A Jackson Township house received about $30,000 in damages after
a clothes dryer caught
fire Tuesday afternoon. The fire occurred at 3:02 p.m.
Tuesday at 3521 Sandusky County Road 23. Jo Cooney is listed
as the caller who reported the fire and the Sandusky County
Rural Directory lists Fred Cooney as living at that address,
but the official fire report listing the owner of the house
was not available and attempts to call the Cooneys' telephone
number were unsuccessful. Helena Fire Chief Steve Shull said
no one was injured in the blaze. No one was inside the house
when it caught fire -- the homeowner had just arrived when the
fire was called in, Shull said. He was uncertain of the name
of the homeowner. The fire report was handled by the Kansas
Fire Department. Shull said Kansas Fire was the first to arrive
at the scene, followed by Shull and another Helena firefighter.
"We were working only about a mile away," Shull, who
is a home builder, said. "There was heavy smoke."
Bettsville and additional Helena firefighters also assisted
at the scene. Crews were there for about an hour and a half.
Shull said there was damage to the utility room, living room
and heavy smoke and heat damage throughout the house. |
| Fires quickly contained - By Eric A. Howald
of the Keizertimes (03/26/2004) |
Crews were dispatched to a house fire at 1125 Springwood Drive
N.E. The fire was reported at 9:45 a.m. by Rebecca Morris, one
of the owners, who had returned from an outing to find the home
filled with smoke. Firefighters arrived on the scene to find
Morris standing in the front yard with the family dog, and light
smoke coming from the home. "My partner and I were the
first ones inside and we went upstairs because that was where
the smoke was heaviest. We went all the way to the attic and
were feeling the walls but couldn't find a source of heat,"
said Trett. The source of the smoke was soon determined to be
a dryer located in a utility room at the base of the stairs
leading to the second floor. "The smoke came right from
the dryer and up the stairs so it threw us," said Trett.
Morris' husband, Mark, arrived as the fire was being extinguished
and said his wife had called him at work. "I flew down
Lancaster to get home," he said. The
fire was confined to the dryer, which was removed from
the home while crews ventilated the remaining smoke from the
structure. Morris said she thought that she had turned the dryer
off before leaving home. No damage estimate was available.
|
| Clayton NC Dental Center Fire Ruled Accidental
- By WRAL Channel 5, Raleigh NC - Gloria Lopez and Kelcey
Carlson (02/04/2004) |
CLAYTON, N.C. -- For the fourth time since Sunday, crews in
Johnston County are investigating a fire at a Clayton business.
However, they ruled a fire at a dental center as accidental.
The fire at the Clayton Dental Center started in the rear of
the building and spread quickly, according to officials. The
structure is a total loss. Crews responded to the fire at the
Clayton Dental Center on Highway 42 south of Clayton just after
1 a.m. Wednesday. Officials said
the fire started in a dryer vent in the rear of the building
and spread quickly. "I just keep thinking a little piece
of lint caused all this damage. It does seem bizarre, but they
say that's probably what happened," said co-owner Dr. Jeff
Calamos. More than 40 firefighters worked to battle the blaze.
Witnesses said flames shot as high as the power lines. Clayton's
fire chief Lee Barbee said the structure is a total loss. Marsh
said more than 2,000 patient records are backed up on on its
computer system. A Raleigh office's files are also tied into
the Clayton office's system. Damage is estimated at $1 million.
|
| Family homeless after fire - By J. Eric
Eckard, Rocky Mount Telegram (01/21/2004) |
A Rocky Mount family was burned out of their home this past
weekend after their dryer caught fire, spreading the blaze throughout
their house. No one was hurt in the fire, which occurred Friday
at the home of Lee and Kim Barnes on Old Forge Road. Lee Barnes
is the youth director at First United Methodist Church in Rocky
Mount, and the couple has three children, ages 7 months, 3 and
5. "Clothes dryers
are among the most common types of equipment involved in home
fires, third behind stoves and heating appliances,"
said Phillip Davis, fire prevention specialist at the Rocky
Mount Fire Department. Kim Barnes and her children were home
at the time of the fire, and all four escaped without injury
after the smoke detector alerted them of the blaze, fire officials
said. The fire spread through the kitchen, hallway and bedrooms,
destroying most of the one-story house. It took about 45 minutes
for firefighters to bring the blaze under control. "The
whole house sustained heavy smoke and fire damage," a fire
department spokesman said. Davis said that Rocky Mount averages
about one dryer fire a month. "Lack
of cleaning and maintenance is the No. 1 reason for these fires,"
he added. "Always clean the lint filter before each use,
and clean away any lint that accumulates around the drum. "And
don't leave the house or go to sleep with the dryer running.
When they're unattended, that's when the danger occurs."
The Barnes' church now is trying to help the family, who lost
all their belongings in the blaze. The Barnes family is renting
a house owned by a former church member, and some donations
already have come in. But the family still needs furniture,
household items, appliances and children's items. Monetary donations
can be mailed to First United Methodist Church, 100 South Church
St., Rocky Mount, NC 27804, or a list of items needed and contact
people can be viewed at www.firstmethodistrm.org. "Sometimes,
we take for granted that our home appliances will work safely
as they should, but we need to take care of these devices to
keep them safe," Davis said. |
| Christmas Nightmare for Pierce City Family-
By KOLR10 News, Springfield, MO (01/2004) |
Holiday celebrations end abruptly for a Pierce City family that
loses everything in a fire. A Pierce City man and his children
are now homeless and wondering what could have been done to
prevent the blaze. Fire investigators say the dryer sparked
the fire and that's not uncommon. The Consumer Product Safety
Commission says on average, there
are more than 15-thousand dryer fires a year. In 1998
20 people died and nearly 400 were injured as a result of it.
Robert Graham's family is alive, but scrambling to get back
to normal. "When I first pulled up it was shock. Then I
walked in and seen this. They walked up to me and said the Red
Cross will be here. I just thought this can't be happening to
me," said homeowner. Robert Graham. The shell of Graham's
home is standing, but inside there is nothing worth saving.
Even the little family Christmas tree melted and memories of
holidays past are mush. "I used to videotape them getting
up Christmas morning. It's gone. The pictures are gone, "
said. Graham. As Graham picked through the mess Sunday he said
he was thankful he and his children are safe, but can't believe
everything he's worked for is gone. "I bought all this
stuff. All paid for. It was a comfortable living now we have
to start over from the beginning," said Graham. Graham
trying to focus on finding a place to live and helping his children
deal with this loss. "My boy took it the worst he's real
sensitive. He took it the worst," said Graham. Graham drives
truck for a living and is a full time father of a 11 year old
son and 13 year old daughter. The father of two does a lot of
laundry, but he never knew a dryer that wasn't even on could
be a danger. "I wish I could have been here to prevent
some of this, " said Graham. Even though every Christmas
will remind him of this destruction, Graham says he'll land
on his feet and thinks this will make his family trio even tighter.
"We've been together nine years on our own. This will make
us that much closer we'll all bounce back. It will take some
time but we'll be all right," said Graham. Graham's children
are staying with friends and family until he finds a rental
house, which is hard to come by in Pierce City after the tornado.
The family did not have renter's insurance. |
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