Don't Leave Home...

Literally. If you listen to anything I say, please let this be it...

While doing laundry, I took some stuff out to hang, then restarted the dryer. I was going to go out by the pool, where my sister, brother in law and the kids were swimming. However, I wanted to check one more time to see if the clothes were done drying. As soon as I walked up, I could smell something burning. I opened the dryer, looked inside, but didn't see anything. It was then that I saw smoke coming out from between the washer and dryer.

THE DRYER WAS ON FIRE!!!!

I immediately flew out to get my B-I-L, and ran back in, he came straight from the pool, sopping wet, and sure enough, there were flames under the dryer. He shut the gas off, took it off the line, while I ran next door to get the neighbor guy, and a wrench (to disconnect the gas line).

The fire put itself out before we could get the dryer out the garage door (First Floor Laundry is a WONDERFUL thing).

So my point is this...
1. NEVER leave your house (even to go to the yard) while the dryer is running.

2. ALWAYS clean your lint filter. I do this EVERY TIME I use the dryer, because I am married to a firefighter, and he is a neurotic about anything that is attached to a gas line or electrical line. Literally, everything gets cleaned fairly frequently.

3. TO ALL YOU WOMEN... It is HIGH time we learn how to remove the panel off the dryer. THIS IS WHERE THE FIRE WAS. Because we couldn't get the panel off, we had to take the whole damn thing out to the garage - it would have been on the driveway if the fire didn't go out. If we could have gotten the panel off, we could have put it out with an extinguisher - which is what I would have had to do if I were alone - hence the reason to learn how to remove the panel.

If I had been alone, I would have been screwed. I was in a full blown panic, and didn't know where to start with this. So... KNOW YOUR DRYER. KNOW HOW TO SHUT THE GAS/ELECTRIC OFF, KNOW HOW TO REMOVE THE PANEL, AND FOR GOD SAKES... KNOW WHERE THE FIRE EXTINGUISHER IS.

Your assignment for the day, if you choose to do it...
Find out how to remove the panel, and make sure all looks clean down there. We just had a little bit of dust, but it was still enough to ignite.

Pardon me while I go breathe into a paper bag now...