Clothes catch fire in Marquette laundromat

MARQUETTE — A portion of Fourth Street in Marquette was closed for more than an hour Monday afternoon following a laundromat fire.

The fire was reported about 3 p.m. at the Fourth Street Laundromat at the intersection of West Hewitt Avenue and Fourth Street.

According to Marquette Fire Department Captain Dean Mallos, gray smoke was rolling out of the building when firefighters arrived. Early reports indicate clothes inside two unattended dryers may have overheated, causing the fire.

There was nobody inside the business when Northern Michigan University Public Safety Officers arrived.

“NMU Public Safety was in the area, and they got here and yelled into the building to make sure nobody was in there,” Capt. Mallos said. “We are checking for an extension (of the fire) on the roof in and around some vents to make sure no embers or anything getting sucked up into the exhaust system. You know, [the embers] could still be burning up there, so firefighters double-check all areas of the ceiling and roof.”

Firefighters checked the roof and all dryers to make sure the fire was out. The Laundromat suffered minor smoke damage.