Family of seven, several pets out of Denver home after dryer fire reignites, spreads to home

DENVER (KDVR) — A family of seven and several of their pets are out of their home after a dryer fire accidentally reignited, spreading to their home.

On Monday afternoon at a home near Jewell Avenue and Fairfax Street in the Virginia Village neighborhood, a family said their clothes dryer caught on fire.

"My middle sister she yelled upstairs that she was kind of smelling smoke somewhere and I kind of thought she was just kidding. Then she said, 'No, something is definitely smoking down here,' and so we went downstairs and noticed that the duct on the back of the dryer was kind of on fire and was starting to catch flame," said victim Alexis Cox.

The family was able to get the fire out themselves, noticing the dryer's instructions manual was inside the tubing.

"We doused it with water and after it cooled off, we were like, let's get it outside," said Dawn Smith, Cox's mother. "I put it in the sand thinking that that's safe, sand doesn't catch fire typically. Then, around one-ish, they knocked on our door and said your house is on fire, people that were walking by."

The Denver Fire Department then quickly responded and put out the fire before it spread further into the home. The family said the debris from the dryer fire reignited during the windy conditions.

"I remember seeing one of the firemen use his entire body to bust down the gate over there. The department was great. But it was definitely just a very terrifying experience for us. Wasn't on our bingo card for 2025," the family said.

The family evacuated safely with their two young children and two large dogs. Their cat was stuck in the basement at the time of the fire but was ultimately found safe.

"As a grandmother, I feel all responsible just because I brought it out here. We're fine so I keep replaying that, we're fine. It's just so mentally, for the kids, they don't understand," said Smith. "We're so grateful and thankful for everything. The people walking by, the people that offered to help, they brought the dogs water, the firemen were great."

The family is currently staying in a hotel, while they find temporary housing and wait for repairs on their home. They set up a GoFundMe to help with expenses.

"I'm extremely grateful, especially being a first responder myself and seeing some of the tragedies that come into the emergency department on a daily basis from accidents and fires and things like that. It really could have been a lot worse. Just knowing that all of us are safe, I think is what kind of kept me at bay right now from completely losing it," said Cox.

The family is reminding the public to check for obstructions in dryers and regularly clean them.