A Wicklow woman has revealed how her tumble dyer went on fire, which resulted in Wicklow Fire Brigade being called to extinguish the blaze.
Fleur Reynolds from Rathnew told WicklowNews.Net how she placed a duvet cover and other clothes in the dryer and placed it on a regular spin as she went about her day.
However, she quickly smelt smoke and opened the dryer and fumes came out.
“We caught it very quick so it wasn’t as bad as it could have been,” she said. “We thought we could get it under control but the fumes were so bad and we had already tried a fire extinguisher.
It was at that point Fleur made the call to the emergency services and the fire brigade was dispatched to her house.
The firemen removed the clothing and duvet from the dryer which were on fire and extinguished the blaze.
The cause of the fire was not electrical – but rather the duvet cover’s buttons not being closed, which resulted in the clothes in the dryer drum getting wrapped up inside the duvet creating friction.
Fleur explained the firemen had told her it was a common occurrence and as the dryer continues to spin and the heat intensifies with the friction, it can set itself alight.
To prevent this, duvet covers and other similar bedding material should be fastened or buttoned up before going into the dryer.
Ms Reynolds said she is thankful the dryer is located in an adjoining building to the house and that she was around at the time it occurred.
“We’re just really glad we caught it in time and that it wasn’t at night,” Fleur concluded.
WicklowNews.Net contacted Wicklow Fire Brigade for comment.
