FREDERICKTOWN — Homeowner Eric Bressi, who lives at 20255 Shaffer Road north of Fredericktown, was able to put out a fire before it did any damage to his home Monday afternoon. Fredericktown Fire Chief Scott Mast heard the call while he was on Main Street in Fredericktown, and arrived on the scene in five minutes.

Mast said he saw smoke coming from the house and immediately called for mutual aid, requesting an engine from Bellville. Then when he went into the house, to find Bressi had extinguished the fire.

According to Mast, Bressi was repairing a clothes dryer, and had the heating element out of the dryer. When it heated up, it tipped over, falling into a basket of clothes and setting them on fire. Bressi went outside for a water hose, broke a window in the room, pushed in the hose and doused the fire.

Mast arrived as Bressi was getting the fire under control. Only the clothes and wainscot on the wall were damaged.

“He did a nice job of controlling the fire,” said Mast.

Mast also noted there was a working smoke detector in the house.