Dryer fire prompts west side cafe evacuation

A west side cafe and adjacent businesses had to be evacuated after a dryer fire was discovered in a back room of the cafe Wednesday morning, according to a statement from the Madison Fire Department.

Employees at the cafe located in the 8400 block of Old Sauk Road had been drying laundry when they began to smell something burning. They checked it out but didn’t notice anything amiss. About 15 minutes later, employees heard a “poof” in the back room and looked again, finding nothing. Moments later, they heard another “poof” and found fire in the dryer.

Firefighters were dispatched to the location and were met with thick smoke as they opened the door to the small room where the dryer was located. Crews entered and put out the fire with a water can extinguisher. Everyone was able to evacuate the cafe and neighboring businesses and no injuries were reported.

Firefighters noted a couple of tripped electrical breakers but found no evidence of lint buildup in the dryer or exhaust vents. The exact cause of the dryer fire is unknown.