A fire discovered at an east side laundromat was fueled by notable buildup of lint throughout the laundromat’s venting system, according to a statement from the Madison Fire Department. The cause of the fire complicated firefighting efforts, but no injuries to patrons or firefighters were reported.
On Jan. 26, a patron at Self-Serve Laundry, 701 E. Johnson St., was preparing to remove clothes from a dryer when he discovered flames coming from the appliance. He described seeing flames “dripping down” below the drum of the dryer. He was able to discharge two extinguishers prior to firefighters’ arrival, but it wasn’t enough to put a stop to the fire.
The Madison Fire Department arrived at 11:37 a.m. to find smoke coming from the front door of the laundromat. Firefighters also observed smoke coming from the roof. It took firefighters about an hour to put out the fire and secure the scene.
