Shreveport Firefighters Battle Afternoon House Fire

On Monday, October 23, 2023, at 2:55 PM, the Shreveport Fire Department received a report of a house on fire in the 6900 block of Buncombe Road. The first unit arrived on scene within six minutes and reported light smoke coming from the side of a one-story manufactured house.

It took the efforts of twenty-one  firefighters operating eight units to bring the fire under control at 3:13 PM. No injuries to firefighters were reported. Although no occupant was home at the time of the fire, first responders were notified by an alert neighbor who spotted the smoke and called 911.

While the official cause of the fire and full extent of the damage remains under investigation, investigators could not eliminate the possibility that the fire originated inside of or immediately around the clothes dryer. According to the National Fire Protection Association, the leading cause of home clothes dryer fires is failure to keep them clean.

The following are some best practices relating to clothes dryers:

• Clean the dryer’s lint filter before or after each load.

• Ensure the air exhaust vent pipe is not restricted and the vent flap will open when the unit is operating. Clean these items annually.

• Turn off the dryer before going to sleep or leaving the house.

• Follow the manufacturer’s recommendations for use and do not overload the dryer.

For more fire safety tips, contact Shreveport Fire Prevention at 318-673-6740 or visit www.shreveportfire.org.