ROCHELLE — There were no injuries after the Rochelle Fire Department, Ogle-Lee Fire Protection District and Rochelle Police Department responded to a dryer fire at Family Laundry at 1065 N. Caron Road on Thursday morning, RFD Lt. Zach Prewett said. 

First responders were called to the business at 9:14 a.m. for the report of a fire in the building. A patron who was doing his laundry noticed a fire in the dryer unit he was using and called 911. 

“There was smoke in the building and a small fire confined to one dryer unit,” Prewett said. “We used about 20 gallons of water and extinguished the fire. We ventilated the building and cleared the smoke and spoke with the owner and helped with cleanup as much as we could. The cause is under investigation. We've identified it as a failure of equipment in some fashion.”

Prewett said only one dryer unit was affected by the fire and there was no lasting water or smoke damage. In order to reopen, the laundromat just needed to finish cleanup. 

Family Laundry is located in a shopping center and Prewett said early detection and notification of first responders was key. 

“Whenever you have a connected building it’s always a concern for spread and a much larger incident,” Prewett said. “Early detection and notifying us right away is important. The caller asked us if it was something he could have put out himself and whether he should have done that and not called. Of course we want to know and be there to make sure everything is safe and fire hasn't gotten into any hidden spaces that could cause a bigger problem.”

Prewett said first responders did not have a dollar amount for the damage to the dryer. Fire officials were on scene for roughly an hour Thursday.