An Upper Valley family got a fiery awakening yesterday when their dishwasher caught fire in the early morning hours.  Their frightening experience should be your cautionary tale.

Reginald Berry said the sound of a screeching smoke alarm and his wife, Sandy, screaming, "Fire" pulled him out of sleep Monday morning.  He ran to the kitchen where he saw the dishwasher fully engulfed in flames.  According to the El Paso Fire Department, a malfunction in the machine caused the fire.  Berry said the dishwasher had been set to wash at 1am, and the fire broke out around 2:15.

Upper Valley Fire Caused By Dishwasher
KVIA.com
loading...

His wife called 911 while he tried to contain the fire with a fire hose, but he couldn't put it completely out.  Fire fighters got to the home and were quickly able to contain the fire, but not before it caused $25,000 in damage!

The El Paso Fire Department said this is a good time to test your smoke alarm and change the batteries at least twice a year.

If you do not have a smoke alarm, and you can't afford one, you can contact the El Paso Fire Prevention Division at (915) 485-5699 for a free smoke alarm and installation.

More From 93.1 KISS FM