Clothes dryer fire a timely caution reminder

A CLOTHES dryer fire which broke out in a Surfers Paradise building on Sunday night should act as a timely reminder for city residents to clear out lint filters to protect against a potential blaze.

However, Coast residents should also remain vigilant around appliances like electric heaters as temperatures cool ahead of winter and they pull the items out of storage to warm up.

Queensland Fire and Emergency Services (QFES) states dryers are “often responsible for laundry fires”.

Firefighters were called to the Cavill Ave commercial building near the intersection with Orchid Ave about 10.50pm on Sunday.

They arrived to find “strong electrical smell”, QFES spokeswoman said.

Firefighters took a little while to locate the dryer in the a a premises and then discovered it was still alight.

The crew worked until about 11.30pm to extinguish the fire.

QFES urges people to clean the lint filters in dryers after every load.

“Remembering to clean the lint out of a clothes dryer filter as often as possible will help prevent the machine overheating and will go a long way towards preventing house fires,” the fire service states.

Each year, QFES warns Queenslanders to take care while using electrical appliances, especially during the colder months.

In particular, make sure heaters and power cords will not trip someone and keep portable heaters away from curtains, tablecloths and bedding.

Remember to place screens in front of open fires and not to overload power points.