Dryer fire blamed for Friday morning blaze

A Williamsburg man was able to escape his burning home early Friday morning thanks to a smoke alarm alerting him of the blaze.

Goldbug Volunteer Fire Chief Brandon Woods said that the fire occurred in a doublewide trailer located at 473 Airport Road.

“They guy living there was home. He was doing laundry. We believe it started in the dryer. When smoke detectors started going off, he came out of his bedroom and it was smoked up,” Woods said.

The home’s resident called 911 about 1:04 a.m. and it took firefighters about 12 minute to arrive on the scene.

“The fire was coming out the back of the home and was getting ready to go through the roof when we arrived,” Woods noted.

While firefighters were able to keep most of the structure intact besides the laundry area, Woods said that the home still sustained severe damage and is considered a total loss.

The resident suffered minor smoke inhalation. Whitley County EMS treated him at the scene, but he did not have to go to the hospital.

Seven firefighters from Goldbug, Emlyn, Oak Grove and Woodbine volunteer fire departments and Williamsburg Fire and Rescue all responded to the scene in addition to three fire trucks.

Woods said he would advise people against leaving their dryer running if they are not going to be home or not going to be awake.

“I don’t even do it myself. If I leave, I shut my dryer off. It is something a lot of people don’t think about. I wouldn’t recommended leaving your dryer or anything like that running while you are gone or if you are going to bed,” Woods added. “Absolutely make sure you have smoke detectors. That could have turned out completely different if he didn’t have them.”