KYLE MURPHYStaff Writer

The Tullahoma Fire Department made quick work in putting out a dryer fire Monday afternoon.

According to interim Tullahoma Fire Chief Larry Sloan, the fire department received the call in the early afternoon on Monday, June 12, regarding a structure fire at 209 E. Grundy St. When the crews arrived, smoke was coming from B & C Coin Laundry and found a dryer on fire.

“We initiated entrance into the building and found a dryer full of sheets and towels on fire,” Sloan said.

The fire was extinguished quickly with a little water damage. Sloan said the crew contained the damage and cleaned it up for the owner before turning it back over. Sloan said there were no injuries and only the dryer was damaged, with another dryer on top of it also damaged. He added there was little smoke damage due to how quickly they were able to clear out the fire. 

A part of East Grundy Street had to be blocked off due to extending the hose to a hydrant on Washington Street, which Sloan said they had to stretch about 400 feet of the hose down the street.

A potential cause of the fire, according to Sloan, was the combination of towels mixed with the sheets in the dryer. The fire department did not believe that the fire was suspicious, but they have sent the towels to the state fire marshal’s office to see if there was any accelerants on the towels.

“The towels hold a lot of heat to the point that if there is a sheet in with them, the sheet can catch fire because the heat builds up in the towels to the point that it reaches the ignition temperature of the cotton,” Sloan said. “It’s not a good idea to dry sheets and towels together.”

Sloan also advised to residents to never put bath mats or any type of rug in the dryer, as the rubber backing can start to break down from the heat and ignite.

“Do not put those in a dryer,” Sloan said.

Photo courtesy of the Tullahoma Fire Department.