Holy Smokes!

Last Friday (July 10th) was a day I don't think I will forget for a long long time. We (Autumn, Brian, Elias, Jake and I) were leaving that late morning to head to Nevada for our cousin's going away party. I threw a load of clothes in the washer that morning and then started in on the quilt that I'm making. About 30 minutes before we were suppose to leave I threw jeans, shorts and two shirts in the dryer. Once those were dry I went to change and when I came back Elias had escaped to the top floor by himself. So I ran up to get him before he tried to climb back down. While up there I smelled smoke...almost a burning plastic smell. So I yelled to my mom and aunt who were sewing and we all searched the house. We frantically searched everywhere but couldn't find anything burning. Jake had grabbed the fire extinguisher but still we found nothing. We did figure out that it smelled like smoke the most in the garage. Aunt Tammy then went into the laundry room and there was smoke in there. We unplugged the dryer and pulled the lint tray out and just as we were leaving to go turn the propane tank off I noticed that there were flames underneath it. So I grabbed the sleeping bag that was right next to it and Jake sprayed the dryer with the fire extinguisher. Jake then ran and turned off the propane while my mom called 911. We waited outside while Jake went back in to make sure the walls weren't on fire. He also grabbed the keys to the cars that were in the garage so my mom could move them. Finally after it seemed like forever the fire trucks arrived. They got their jackets, masks, and hoses and went inside. Soon after we saw them bring out the charred dryer to the driveway and put the fire out there. They soon told us that it was contained to the dryer and there was only a little scorch mark on the wall. They set up fans to blow all the smoke out of the house and they ended up blowing all the fire extinguisher powder all over the house too. They told Jake he was a hero for using a fire extinguisher and turning the propane off. They even gave him a sticker. While they were still assessing the laundry room I snuck in and grabbed my camera. Here are some of the pictures I was able to snap.

Since the dryer is propane there is an open flame underneath. Even though there is a lint tray some lint falls down and over the years it has collected - that is what caught fire. My mom has vowed never to turn the dryer on right before bed or right before she leaves the house.

**We did get permission to take the picture in the truck.