CARIBOU – Drying clothes in a clothes dryer can be a dangerous practice, according to the Caribou fire and ambulance.

Residents of 41 Woodbury St. in Yarmouth learned this the hard way when they left to go to work, leaving clothes in the dryer. When they returned home, heavy smoke and flames were coming from the basement.

The fire department was called, but the fire was difficult to put out and caused extensive damage to the home.

Research by the National Fire Protection Association found that between 1994 and 1998, clothes dryers accounted for a significant portion of appliance fires, causing an average of 14,800 home fires and more than 300 injuries and 16 deaths a year.

It doesn’t take much to keep a clothes dryer in safe working order. A home fire can be devastating. Dryer fires can be easily prevented by taking the time to check the appliance.