Fire at residential care facility results in $20,000 of damage

COLUMBIA — A dirty lint filter caused a fire in the laundry room of a residential care facility this morning, resulting in about $20,000 in damage, a news release from the Columbia Fire Department said.

No one was injured.

The fire department responded to the call at West Village Manor, 1201 Hunt Ave., at about 1 a.m. after a commercial dryer caught on fire. The fire activated a single sprinkler head. Columbia firefighters extinguished the fire and aired the building of smoke. They also removed water from the building.

“It was under control in a quick manner,” Capt. Rick Douglas said.

Douglas said water sprayed out of a pinhole-sized leak in the pipe above one resident’s room when the water flowed with the sprinkler activation. The resident of that room was moved to another room, Douglas said. All other residents were able to remain in their rooms during the incident.

The fire was caused by excessive lint build-up in the dryer, Douglas said, and he noted that failure to clean lint filters is a common cause of commercial and residential blazes.

The fire was contained to a single room, but water damage occurred in another part of the building.