Fire destroys Anderson home

A cooking fire destroyed the home of Brian and Debra Palmer at 1421 Hemlock Ave. on Saturday, Dec. 12. In the middle of cooking fudge, the fire started when a plastic cutting board left on the stove top ignited while Debra Palmer was asleep, Anderson Fire Protection District Fire Chief Andy Nichols said.

Palmer's dog awoke her, and she discovered her stove and cabinets were already engulfed, Nichols said. Palmer escaped from the home and called 911 from across the street.

Fire personell were dispatched at 11:11 a.m. but could not save the house, but for some belongings in a back room, said Nichols, who estimated the total damages at $180,000. Also living at the residence was the Palmer's adult daughter, Janelle, Nichols said. No one in the Palmer family, including the dog, were harmed in the fire.

A poorly ventilated clothes dryer with an improperly installed lint trap led to a separate fire in the Anderson district in a duplex at 3215 Daisy St. on Monday morning, Fire Chief Nichols said.

Lint had accumulated at the bottom of the dryer and ignited, Nichols said. The fire, which burned the dryer, the clothes inside and portion of the garage wall, caused an estimated $8,000 in damages, Nichols said.