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WPEC-TV CBS12 News :: News - Palm Beach County News - Boca house fire caused by dryer

Boca house fire caused by dryer

BOCA RATON, Fla. -- Experts say dryer fires are responsible for more than 16,000 house fires every year. The leading cause of these fires is a lack of maintenance.

Fire broke out just before 11 p.m. Monday at a  home on Duran Avenue in West Boca. Now it appears the culprit may have been a clothes dryer inside the garage that had a build up of lint, something officials say could have been prevented.

Greg Clark: I usually see signs of it probably twice or three times a month. I find a lot of charred lint.

Greg Clark who owns Green Home Dryer Vent cleaning isn't surprised. He says most people are unaware their dryer, if not cleaned regularly, can be a huge hazard.

Greg Clark: They think cleaning the lint trap is sufficient that catches 50 percent of it. The rest of it has to go through the dryer.

Boca Raton homeowner Lauren Mcateer has her dryer vent cleaned once every couple of years.

Lauren Mcateer: Since we have two boys two dogs, me, and husband, we do a lot of laundry. I just want to be careful. I know theres a danger of a house fire if dryer vent gets dirty.

But even with regular maintenance, the buildup of lint is hard to believe.

Greg Clark: It's so clogged up the lint is backing up out of the wall vent.

To clean the vent, Clark uses a rotary brush which extends up to the ceiling.

Greg Clark: You see the lint coming out of there?

In addition to cleaning the dryer vent and filters regularly, Clark also recommends a dryer safety alarm which detects lint buildup or any blockage on the roof. He says a few hundred dollars every couple of years is worth peace of mind.

Greg Clark: You talk to any homeowner after they've had a fire, their whole idea about dryer vent cleaning is that'll be on their mind every day for the rest of their life.

Emergency restoration crews are now cleaning up the mess. They estimate the damage at $200,000. The good news they say, the homeowners are insured.Boca house fire caused by dryer

Tuesday, June 26 2012, 11:56 PM EDT

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