OMAHA, Neb. (KMTV) — The Omaha Fire Department is reminding people of the dangers of a dirty dryer following a house fire in South Omaha.
Days after the fire near 15th and Hickory Street left several people displaced and killed two pets, OFD Assistant Fire Marshal Joe Caniglia shared the likely cause.
“The investigators found the fire initiated somewhere in the dryer system,” he said. “Which would include either the dryer itself or the vent leading out from the dryer to the exterior of the house.”
Caniglia said excess lint in a dryer can lead to a fire, especially if coupled with mechanical problems that can cause friction during operation.
Though Caniglia said dryer fires aren’t typically large, they can still spread fast.
Service Technician Bill Hildreth said cleaning the dryer’s filter is important, but so is cleaning out the inside of the hose behind the dryer, an often missed step.
“A lot of times customers will complain that it’s not heating or it’s not drying the clothes like it should,” said Hildreth. “That’s when we usually find the vent’s clogged and the element is working fine.”
He recommends cleaning out the hose once every year or so to prevent lint build-up. The task can be done with special brushes that can be found in hardware stores, or with the help of a professional like Hildreth.
He also recommends a final step to be absolutely safe.
“It’s probably a good idea to have somebody come out once a year or every two years, disassemble your dryer and clean out the lint so you don’t have that risk of catching it on fire,” he said.
Caniglia said clothes soaked with flammable liquids like gasoline and cooking oils can combust in a dryer and recommends washing them multiple times to prevent fire risk.
Also, he recommends keeping anything combustible away from a dryer and calling 911 immediately if smoke is seen coming from it.
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