Fernie Fire and Emergency Services has determined that a malfunctioning dryer machine led to the house fire they fought in Montane neighbourhood on Tuesday, July 16.
11 firefighters responded to a house fire at 2 Morrissey Court on Tuesday morning. A neighbour had noticed smoke pouring from the front window of the house and had called 9-11.
The occupants of the house were out of town at the time the fire occurred and their pet was at a sitter, so no one was injured during the incident.
Fire chief Brendan Morgan said the team was able to prevent the flames from spreading from the laundry room, which saved the structure of the house. The fire was contained quickly, thanks to workers from Alfred Hummel Contractor Ltd., who just happened to be on the street with a water truck at the time of the incident and began spraying the house before the fire crew got to the scene.
While the house is still structurally intact, it received heavy smoke damage and won't be habitable for a few months.
Morgan said the fire team is still investigating the cause of the dryer machine fire, but believe it to be the result of either faulty electrical wiring or the dryer not shutting off when it was supposed to.
"We've established that it wasn't a lint issue which is usually the problem," he said.
He added that a member of the fire team has taken the machine to Calgary to get electrical engineers to assess it.
Morgan advised that homeowners should avoid running electrical equipment when not in the house and frequently clean their lint traps and drier ducts to limit the possibility of fire.
