Atascadero resident extinguishes fire in own home caused by dryer
ATASCADERO, Calif. - A large fire team responded to reports of a home on fire in the 2800 block of Azucena just after 11:30 a.m., only to discover the fire had been extinguished by the owner or occupant with a fire extinguisher.
The first engine on scene arrived to find a single-story family home with light smoke coming from an open window. After a fire extinguisher was used, there was still smoldering coming from the dryer.
The dryer was removed from the house. Firefighters used fans to clear the smoke from the home.
A preliminary report shows the loss is approximately $1,500 for a new dryer. However, around $400,000 of damage was saved that could have spread to the house.
The cause is believed to be a buildup of lint in the dryer and exhaust hose.
The responding units including two engines and two command cars from Atascadero Fire, one engine from Templeton Fire, one engine from Paso Robles, one engine from and one command car from Cal Fire, one engine from Atascadero State Hospital, one ambulance from San Luis Ambulance, and three Atascadero police units for traffic control.
