Appliance Fire Caught Quickly Thanks to Working Smoke Detector

A fire was caught quickly, and everybody evacuated safely, after a smoke detector alerted a west side resident to a problem in his laundry room.

Multiple people called 911 to report the problem, prompting response from Ladder Co. 2 and other west side fire companies. The occupant explained to firefighters he’d just begun doing some laundry but heard his smoke detector sounding a short time later. When he opened the door to the laundry room, a large amount of smoke pushed out. He immediately left his apartment pulled the building’s fire alarm to prompt an evacuation.

Firefighters were directed to the apartment and located a stacked washer/dryer unit that was still producing smoke. The crew unplugged the appliances, disconnected the water source, and disassembled the appliance to extinguish the fire, which was confined to the wash machine. Ladder Co. 7 ventilated the apartment to clear out the smoke.

The primary fire damage was confined to the motor of the washer. Fire did not spread to other areas. Firefighters helped building management remove the appliance from the apartment.