Clothes dryer sparks overnight house fire, killing 3, Georgia officials say
Three people were killed in a fire likely sparked by a dryer left on overnight, Georgia officials said.
Elbert County Emergency Services got a call at about 2:30 a.m. Saturday, Nov. 11, about a house fire with multiple people trapped inside, Insurance and Safety Fire Commissioner John F. King said in a Nov. 14 news release.
Crews arrived to find the home engulfed in flames, he said. Once the fire was put out, firefighters went looking for the three residents inside and found them dead.
The victims were a 40-year-old man, a 49-year-old woman and a 64-year-old woman, an office spokesperson told McClatchy News.
An investigation by the State Fire Marshal’s Office determined the fire was an accident and likely caused by a clothes dryer that was left on overnight, officials said.
“Georgians doing laundry at home should remember to turn off the dryer when leaving home or going to bed, and always clean the lint trap before each load of laundry,” King said in a statement.
Dirty lint filters were the leading cause of clothes dryer fires in homes from 2018 to 2020, according to the National Fire Incident Reporting System.
Authorities didn’t release additional information.
Elbert County is about 100 miles northeast of downtown Atlanta.
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