A very smoky dryer fire displaced a family of four and a family of two from their apartments early Monday evening in the 23600 block of 62nd Avenue South in Kent.
Neighbors knocked on the door of an apartment where a strong smell of smoke was coming from. No one answered the door and 911 was called, according to a Kent Fire Department Regional Fire Authority media release.
The first Kent Fire Department emergency unit to arrive forced the door of the apartment open and found the unit filled with smoke. They found a fire in the dryer and extinguished it within a couple of minutes.
Firefighters checked to be sure the fire had not extended into the walls or ceiling. The fire was confined to the dryer itself, although some smoke and heat damage to the walls and ceilings was visible.
The family of two is staying with family in the area and the family of four is receiving housing assistance through the American Red Cross.
Kent Fire Investigator ruled the fire as accidental as a result of an electrical problem with the dryer. There were no reports of injuries to residents or firefighters.
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