Fire on Ash Street early this morning started from a dryer in use

A fire on Ash Street this morning all started from a dryer that was in use.

It took firefighters 15 minutes to contain the fire, there were no injuries, but severe damage.

Most of the damage took place in the back of duplex, which estimated $120,000 of property damage.

American Red Cross has been working with renters today to set them up in placement homes for now.

Battalion Chief Tim Bach said the fire start from a dryer that was in use, “the Fire Marshal’s office did a complete investigation and the fire originated in or around the dryer that was in use at the time of the fire.”

Owner of Ennis Appliance Center, Gary Ennis, said that a dirty vent is usually the main problem of dryer fires. He said renters should ask if the dryer’s vent has been cleaned. Oftentimes, it is overlooked.

“Ask if the dryer’s vent has been cleaned and if it’s okay, you can look at it yourself, and if you see a lent build up around it, you know it hadn’t been cleaned, it’s still dirty,” said Ennis.

Ennis said lent build-up can start the fire and it should cleaned once a year. Some signs to watch out for are longer dryer times and overheated dryer cabinets.

Manager of Neighborhood Services, Leigh Kottwitz, of the City of Columbia said they checked the property within the last year. It was marked abiding city code, but the city is not responsible for washers or dryers.

“If we see something that seems out of place, we may take a look at that, but we generally aren’t looking carefully at washers and dryers, again, it’s not a requirement that those are provided by the tenant,” said Kottwitz.

Fire Marshal’s will be further investigating the exact cause of the fire.

According to the U.S. Fire Administration, 2,900 homes clothes dryer fires are reported each year and they cause on average 5 deaths, 100 injuries and approximately $35 million in property loss.