Fire Department

Three people were displaced from their east-side apartment after lint caught fire in the flexible dryer hose and vent system in their building.
 
The fire was initially discovered on the first floor, but due to a collection of lint throughout the hose, the fire traveled upward to the second floor and roof through the vent system.
 
Firefighters arrived at the Forest Ridge complex to find dark smoke coming from the chimney stack and people on the roof attempting to put out the fire with an extinguisher.
 
Engine Company 8 found no smoke or fire in the first-floor apartment. Meanwhile, Ladder Company 8 went onto the roof with a hose line and extinguished the fire inside the laundry vent.  Engine Company 13 accessed the second-floor apartment and overhauled the dryer vent area to ensure the fire was completely out and hadn’t spread into the apartment.
 
Three tenants in the second-floor unit are temporarily displaced, but the first-floor occupant is able to stay in his apartment. Nobody was injured. Damage estimates currently rest at $15,000.
 
The Madison Fire Department reminds the public to clean out their dryer hoses and vents regularly. The use of rigid metal piping (see example #2 to the right) is highly recommended because it doesn’t easily allow the collection of lint, which is highly flammable.