(Photo courtesy Flickr/herval)
By Adam Studzinski
NORMAL – A fire in a clothes dryer caused approximately $10,000 in damage to an apartment building in Normal overnight and left one family displaced.
The Normal Fire Department responded to 101 Northfield Drive, Building H, just before 12:30 Monday morning. The first engine company met with the occupant outside the building who said the clothes dryer outside her unit was on fire.
Firefighters found heavy smoke conditions inside the apartment and used a thermal imaging camera to locate the laundry room. They began extinguishing efforts using a hand held fire extinguisher until the hose line could be stretched into the building. The fire was out just before 1 a.m.
The department said there was heavy fire and smoke damage to the laundry room in the affected unit and moderate heat and smoke damage to the remaining areas of the apartment. No injuries were reported.
The American Red Cross was contacted to assist with temporary needs of the two adults and one child that lived in the apartment.
Officials are still working to determine the cause of the fire.
The department reminds the public that the leading cause of home clothes dryer and washer fires is failure to clean them.
Adam Studzinski can be reached at [email protected].
