Get your copy of our weekly print products at any of these convenient locations.

Dryer fire causes $10,000 damage and a warning from department

The Capital Times  —  7/03/2008 6:37 am

The Capital Times

A dryer fire in an apartment building basement Wednesday caused $10,000 damage and resulted in a warning from the Madison Fire Department to call 911 immediately when a fire is discovered instead of trying to deal with the situation on your own.

The fire was reported at 12:26 p.m. Wednesday in the two-story apartment building at 511 W. Doty St., about 30 minutes after a building maintenance worker discovered smoke coming from the dryer.

The worker called the property management company to report the fire, then deactivated a smoke alarm that was going off, according to the incident report from the fire department.

The worker also set up window fans to ventilate the basement, and moved the dryer away from the basement wall with the help of property management representatives who came to the scene.

The stubborn fire melted light fixtures in the basement, destroyed the dryer and filled the basement with smoke.

A resident of the apartment building called 911 at 12:26 p.m.

"In the event of a fire, activate the building fire alarm system or notify the fire department by calling 911 immediately," said Lori Wirth, public information officer. "Only after notifying the fire department, you may attempt to use an extinguisher to put out the fire, if the fire is small."

If you don't know what you're doing, let the fire department handle the situation.

"Know what is burning," Wirth said. "If you don't know what is burning, you don't know what type of extinguisher to use.

"Do not fight the fire if you don't have adequate or appropriate equipment, you might inhale toxic smoke or your instincts tell you not to."

The Capital Times  —  7/03/2008 6:37 am