Dryer fire damages Locust Hill home; resident is displaced

by Tom Chillemi –

A dryer fire that quickly spread to the structure damaged a home in the 5900 block of General Puller Highway on Tuesday, Feb. 1, according to Paul Murray, assistant chief of the Lower Middlesex Volunteer Fire Department, which is located in Deltaville.

Murray said the only resident of the house told him she heard a noise. When she went to investigate she saw smoke and found the clothes in the dryer on fire.

Murray, one of the first firefighters to arrive on the call at 11:29 p.m., said he first checked to make sure no one was inside. Through an exterior door, he saw the dyer on fire. The fire had spread from the dryer to the laundry room and was growing rapidly. By the time Murray got his firefighting gear on the fire had gotten into the attic and was coming out of the roof, he said.

Damage

The fire spread to the kitchen and living areas of the single story wooden house. Three other rooms were spared fire damage and some of the contents were saved. Murray estimated that half of the house had “heavy damage” and the rest was damaged moderately. All of the house suffered smoke damage.

On scene

Departments responding included the Lower Middlesex Volunteer Fire Department of Deltaville;  the Hartfield Volunteer Fire Department, and the Middlesex Volunteer Fire Department, located in Urbanna.