Tea towels straight out of the dryer start car fire

A109 Light Utility Helicopter flight with mayor Gisborne City from the air in November 2023.

Firefighters were called to a house in Devery Street in Mangapapa on Monday after a fire started in a car parked in a carport, started when hot tea towels fresh from a dryer caught fire inside the car.

Fire and Emergency NZ sent crews to the property mid-afternoon .

“The occupants of the house had just returned from the laundromat and the tea towels were left in a basket inside the vehicle,” a senior firefighter said.

“Residual heat from the towels caused them to catch fire by spontaneous combustion.

“The residents were alerted by a neighbour who saw smoke and flames inside the car,” he said.

“They were able to drag the car out of the carport and away from their home, which was close by.”

The senior firefighter said the car was destroyed .

“Two people at the scene were assessed by a St John ambulance crew for smoke inhalation.

“This incident serves as a timely reminder to remove freshly dried items from laundry baskets if using electric dryers, particularly things like tea towels that may have some cooking oil residue on them.”