HFD

At 7:09 PM on Sunday, June 11, 2017, City of Hays emergency dispatchers were alerted to an automatic fire alarm sounding at the Holiday Inn Express, 4650 Roth Avenue. The City of Hays Fire Department, assisted by the Hays Police Department, was immediately dispatched. On arrival, firefighters found guests evacuating the hotel due to a small fire in a commercial clothes dryer in the hotel laundry room.

The fire was quickly extinguished by first arriving firefighters using two fire extinguishers. Firefighters then worked to clear the hotel of smoke. There were no injuries. Police officers assisted hotel management in securing the hotel and returning guests to their rooms.

The most probable cause of the fire was spontaneous combustion of the contents inside the clothes dryer. Damage was limited to the dryer.

The Holiday Inn Express was the site of a similar laundry room fire in 2015.

Two fire trucks and five firefighters responded. This is the standard first response for a report of an automatic fire alarm. Twelve off-duty firefighters were recalled in case more help was needed or other emergencies were reported in the community.

The last fire crew left the scene at 7:45 PM.

Clothes dryer fires are common due to lint build-up or the chemical reaction of oxidizer laundry soaps or bleach with oil or grease residue in towels, bedding or clothes being dried. Your City of Hays firefighters would like to remind everyone to clean lint from clothes dryers on a regular basis and to remove clothes promptly from dryers to quickly dissipate the heat and prevent spontaneous combustion.