last monday we had a fire in our home.
a dryer fire.
in the lint trap.
we are all ok.
the boys and i were home.
i smelled something burning, checked around the house, and discovered a problem in the dryer.
the smoke detector then went off.
i found the boys.
they said, "mom, can you turn that loud thing off!?"
i can't believe it, but i actually had to say,
"well, boys. this time mommy isn't cooking."
so we put our shoes on and headed outside.
i came back in and looked inside the lint trap.
lint trap screen had a hole in it.
a new hole.
inside the pocket for the lint screen were flames.
after my neighbor zipped over to be with
the boys in the driveway,
i tried using the fire extinguisher.
the flames got larger and the smoke started pouring into the little bathroom without a window.
i got 9-1-1 on the horn.
the firefighters arrived in approximately 3 minutes.
thank you truck 44!
well, the usual happened. firefighters and equipment galore. lots of neighbors checking things out, providing help and support, etc. (i love our neighborhood...such amazing people).
the good: the fire stayed contained to the laundry room.
the not-so-good: smoke permeated the entire house.
we are "on vacation" living in a hotel for maybe a month while the whole fiasco is dealt with.
we've been working with a huge team of folks to get the ranch back up and running. there's the cleaning team and the textiles crew and the electronics guy and the instrument dude and the air duct/furnace cleaner and the contractor and of course the insurance adjuster and and and!
the good: our insurance.
the not-so-good: not all items can be cleaned. some have to be replaced.
the really really good: we are ok. we were home and able to keep the fire contained. we have friends and family for support. all in all, we are pretty darn thankful.
but having said that, this all totally sucks!
THE TAKEAWAY:
cleaning out your lint trap is not enough.
you must have a company come and
clean out your dryer exhaust hose.
the one that exhausts to the outside.
if it's short, you can do it yourself.
if it's long, like ours, get someone to do it.
have this done...yearly?
plus, never ever run your dryer while you are sleeping or gone.
if we had been either ours would have been a very different story!
yep. this is the wet load of whites
that was in the dryer during the fire.
charred.
in a pile.
on our driveway.
we're calling it,
the great underwear fire of 2011
5 comments:
oh my! That is so scary. I'm so glad everyone is okay. still stinks to have to deal with cleaning that up...
thanks for the dryer tips. angela
I am so relieved all of you are safe and doing okay - that's the main point. And the other part ... you're back online - YAY! (Yes, I know, I can be petty.) Kidding aside, just take things one step at a time.
Just wanted to let you know that Lou cleaned the dryer hose because of your story! Thanks for the PSA.
Hope everything is progressing and you are having fun at the hotel.
Sorry to hear about the fire...but you are right about the silver lining -- at least you were at home to stop it from spreading and no one was injured! On a related note, recently my dryer stopped working and I discovered it was a due to a fuse that had overheated in the vent. (I had run the dryer with just 1 pair of gloves inside -- doh!) Anyhow, that fuse is supposed to be the first thing to overheat in the vent area and cut off further heat to prevent exactly this sort of thing...so I'm surprised this happened. Guess the lesson is that we shouldn't rely on the fuse!
Scary! We're so glad you are all all right! Years ago my parents were talking with a firefighter at a dinner. He said that one of the main causes of house fires was from the dryer. I was very vigilant after that. I'm embarrassed to say that I've been less vigilant over the last year or two. I will take your words to heart and return to vigilance.
I'm glad you've clearly been able to keep your sense of humor.
Let us know if you need anything!
We love you!
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