QUESTION:
Are clothes dryers and a build-up of lint a leading cause of house fires?
ANSWER:
Yes.
SOURCES:
National Fire Protection Association
Consumer Product Safety Commission
U.S Fire Administration
PROCESS:
A viral Facebook warning about the hazards of clothes dryers has been shared almost 200,000 times.
It says, "Please clean your lint filter after every run. Dryer Fires are the leading cause of house fires. Stay Safe!"
So are dryer fires from a buildup of lint, the leading cause of house fires?
We dug up stats from the National Fire Protection Association and the Consumer Product Safety Commission.
Between 2010-2014 fire departments responded to an average of 16,000 fires every year involving clothes dryers or washing machines.
On Average 13 people die and 440 are injured every year from these fires.
Dryer and Washer fires were the sixth leading cause of home fires between 2011 and 2015, causing more fires than candles, but less fires than space heaters.
So, ya, they are a leading cause of fires—that's VERIFIED.
But is it specifically the leftover lint?
Yes.
CPSC data indicates that the largest known contributing factor to clothes dryer related fires is accumulation of lint in the airflow system.
Twenty-seven percent of all dryer fires were started by lint, 26 percent of fires were started by the clothes themselves.
So we can Verify, yes, dryer fires caused by lint buildup is one of the a leading causes of house fires. Experts say clean your lint trap after every use and clean your lint vent at least once a year.
