Dryer Fire Warning Signs and the First Ten Minutes
If you smell burning right now
Do these before anything else, in this order.
- Stop the dryer. Do not open the door if you see smoke or flame inside; opening it feeds the fire air.
- If there is smoke or flame, get everyone out and call 911 from outside. Do not try to fight a fire inside the drum or the wall.
- If there is only a smell and no smoke: unplug the dryer, or switch off its breaker. For a gas dryer, also close the gas valve behind it.
- Feel the wall behind the dryer and look at the outside vent hood. Heat in the wall or smoke at the hood means the fire may be in the vent: call 911.
- Leave the dryer off until the vent has been cleaned and checked. A burning smell is not something to test again with the next load.
Only after that is it a question for a dryer vent company. Nothing on this page replaces the fire department if there is smoke.
How dryer fires start
The US Fire Administration's report on residential clothes dryer fires puts the annual count at about 2,900, causing around 5 deaths, 100 injuries and $35 million in property loss. Failure to clean is the leading factor, at 34 percent, and dust, fiber and lint are the most common items first ignited. The same report found these fires peak in January. Tampa's dryer vent searches peak in January too.
The signs before it gets that far
- A normal load taking two cycles to dry
- Clothes coming out very hot to the touch
- The laundry room warmer and more humid than the rest of the house
- The outside flap not opening when the dryer runs
- Lint visible around the hood, behind the dryer or on the floor
- A crushed or kinked hose behind the machine
Why Tampa housing raises the risk
Long vent runs collect more lint. Tampa has a lot of them: upstairs laundries venting through the roof in New Tampa and Westchase, three-story townhomes in SoHo, condos where the vent crosses a ceiling to reach the balcony. A vent near or past the 35-foot code limit fills much faster than a short wall vent, and lint packed into a bend is out of sight.
Call for a free quote if any of the signs above sound familiar. If you smelled burning, keep the dryer off until the vent has been looked at.
Where to go next
Common questions
Can a dryer fire start when the dryer is off?
Rarely, but hot lint in a clogged vent can smolder after a cycle. Do not run the dryer when you are out or asleep if it has been drying slowly.
Are gas dryers more dangerous?
Not for lint fires, but a blocked gas dryer vent can push carbon monoxide into the house. Fit a CO alarm near the laundry.
Does a lint screen catch everything?
No. Some lint always passes it. That is why the vent needs cleaning even if you clean the screen every load.