Millions of Americans load their dishwashers after dinner to run a cycle while they sleep — but one woman says you do so at your own peril.
Simone Anderson says her Kansas home went up in flames while she slept earlier this month after turning on her dishwasher before turning in for the night.
Anderson, 29, told Kennedy News that she performs the seemingly safe routine every evening, loading the car with the dirty dishes that have piled up between her, her husband, Paul, and their two children, Nola, 4, and Ansel, 1. , during the day.
But on August 7, the unexpected happened: The dishwasher caught fire.
Within an hour of going to bed, she was startled awake by her home’s smoke detectors, prompting her Paul to run downstairs only to find their kitchen “glowing orange” with flames.
“He said it was very surreal and the kitchen was glowing orange,” Anderson recalled, noting that her husband had gone to bed before her that fateful evening. “He said there were flames coming from underneath and next to the dishwasher. It was completely engulfed in flames.”
He rushed back upstairs to grab Anderson and their two children so they could evacuate the house, which filled with smoke within minutes.
“It was too big a fire for him to put himself out, he was coming down the hall,” Anderson said.
The Topeka-based family called the fire department, which, after investigating the incident, told the Andersons there had been a “deep malfunction in the dishwasher,” which caused the massive fire and left their entire home “covered in soot.”
“The whole house is completely unlivable,” Anderson said.
“The kitchen will have to be torn down. Every square inch of our entire house has soot on it.”
Despite now looking for an Airbnb to live in until they get home, they were lucky to escape the inferno when they did as they “could have easily died that day”.
She told Newsweek that they will likely be without their home for at least six months or more.
“As hard as it is to lose all of our stuff — especially for my daughter, because it was her birthday that day and she lost all of her birthday stuff — but the alternative would be that we wouldn’t survive,” Anderson told Kennedy. News.
“If we hadn’t heard the smoke alarms, we would have all slept through it,” she continued.
“I keep thinking about it, my nose was burning for days after because of the smoke.”
After researching and talking to firefighters, she learned that devastating equipment fires like this one are “a lot more common than you think.”
Now, she is educating others not to use their household appliances at night, explaining that it would be harder to stop the fire as quickly as you could if you were awake.
Anderson even took to TikTok to share footage of the wreckage after the flames were extinguished, writing: “We are devastated.”
Ryan Gregor, chief electrician at RCG Electrical, told Newsweek that he “has seen firsthand the potential dangers that can lurk in our homes.”
“Factors such as the age of the equipment, condition and overall electrical system can contribute to these risks,” he said.
“Remember, dishwashers, like any appliance, have a lifespan. Regular checks and maintenance are essential. I recommend regular equipment inspections, proper ventilation, and avoiding overloading electrical circuits.”
Smoke detectors, he advised, “are a must” in an emergency.
According to the US Fire Administration, electrical malfunction is the leading cause of residential fires each year, with most deaths occurring between midnight and 8 a.m., when people are likely asleep.
The agency recommends plugging major appliances directly into the wall outlet — not a power strip or extension cord — as well as maintaining household clothes dryers, replacing cords or appliances that have frayed cables, and keeping flammable fabrics away from lamps, appliances and lamps.
“I was in disbelief that this had happened. I tell others not to use the devices when you’re sleeping or not at home because fires can happen,” Anderson told Kennedy News.
“It’s easy to think, ‘This won’t happen to me, I don’t want this to happen to anyone else.’ I’m just thankful we’re here and we’re safe.”
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