Salem House Fire Caused by Clogged Dryer Vent

Firefighters say they found many fire hazards in the home including lit candles left burning in the garage, a portable space heater with a curtain hanging over it, and electrical outlets without covers.

Photo courtesy: Bill Holmstrom/Salem Fire

(SALEM) - Salem firefighters responded to a house fire Sunday evening at 6:20 PM at 478 Hawthorne Avenue NE.

Fire Department Spokesman Bill Holmstrom says the occupant Anaya Arturo and his family were at home when they checked the clothes in the dryer and discovered the inside of the dryer was on fire.

"When firefighters arrived on scene, Captain Wayne Ayers reported that the dryer inside the garage was engulfed in flames." Holmstrom says firefighters made entry inside the structure through the garage door and the fire was quickly extinguished.

Investigators say the cause of the fire was determined to be a clogged dryer vent that did not allow the heat escape properly, which ignited the clothes inside the dryer. The loss is estimated at $2,000.

Firefighters placed two new smoke detectors in the home which did not have any in place.

Holmstrom says that when firefighters were installing the detectors, they discovered numerous safety hazards which firefighters shared with the occupants, according to Salem Fire Captain Ted Farr,

"We came here on a dryer fire, but there were numbers of things that could of started a fire here tonight." He says the list included lit candles left burning in the garage, a portable space heater with a curtain hanging over it, and electrical outlets without covers.

Salem Fire asks all residents to be careful and check for fire hazards that may exist in your home and on your property.