Excessive Lint Buildup Leads to Fire in Dryer Exhaust System

Engine Co. 10 responded to an apartment complex on Northport Drive for a possible dryer fire. Occupants reported they put a load of laundry in the dryer and began to smell smoke about 30 minutes later. One person called 911 and went downstairs to check on the dryer while others evacuated. The occupant found flames coming from the seams of the vertical dryer vent tubing behind the dryer and threw three small buckets of water on it, extinguishing the fire just prior to Engine 10's arrival.

Firefighters found moderate smoke in the basement but no active fire. The crew unplugged the dryer, removed the items inside of it, and removed all the dryer vent hose and tubing to take it outside. The vent tubing suffered fire damage, but the appliance and items inside were unaffected. Ladder Co. 8 helped clear the smoke from the basement.

Firefighters determined the dryer fire was a result of excessive lint buildup inside the vertical vent hose.