Fire Under Control at Courtesy Cleaners in Ferndale, Hair Extensions to Blame
(Crystal A. Proxmire, May 27, 2014)
The Ferndale Fire Department was on the scene of a fire at Courtesy Cleaners, a coin laundry facility at W. 9 Mile and Livernois at about 5:50pm Tuesday. Smoke could be seen coming from the western-most part of building, or just beyond it, but the situation appears to be under control according to Steele Lindbloom, a witness who was in the area. Lindbloom provided photos to oc115.com of the smoke and fire trucks.
Fire Masrshal Brian Batten explained “The fire was caused by the ignition of clothing and hair extensions inside the dryer. The owner of the clothing was not on scene at the time of the investigation.
“Many dryer fires occur after people wash clothing or rags with oil on them. They presume that the oil was washed out of the clothing and in reality it can take up to two or three washings.
“With hair extensions, the surface area is reduced and if any oil products or glue remain on the extensions after washing, they too can ignite easily in a dryer.
“No one was injured, and damages are estimated at approximately $12,000. This does not account for the loss of revenue due to down time of the two dryers.”