Hamilton mayor’s dryer fire calls for safety review

Hamilton Mayor Fred Eisenberger is still recovering after burning his hand on Saturday caused after a common household appliance caught fire.

He was taken to hospital and treated for possible smoke inhalation and to have his hand bandaged after he tried to put out the fire.

The mayor is reported to have reached into the dryer to try to remove the burning clothes.

Hamilton Fire Prevention Officer says that’s the one thing you should not do.

“You should keep the door closed while the fire is going on to keep it contained and then the next thing they would want to do is to try to shut the dryer off by turning the knob on the front of it.”

Officials say it’s easier to try to prevent a dryer fire in the first place. Many are usually caused by lint build up.

It’s important to clean out the lint trap every time you use your dryer and to have the vents cleaned once a year.

No one was seriously hurt in the Eisenberger fire and the home was not extensively damaged.