Jackson woman bonds with firefighters after dryer smoke scare

JACKSON, Tenn. — The Jackson Fire Department responded to a residence on Walsh Street on Saturday, after 82-year-old Clementine Spencer says she saw smoke inside her home.

“I didn’t know what to do. I didn’t get excited, but I had the prescience of dialing 911,” Spencer said.

When firefighters arrived, they determined the smoke was coming from the dryer in the laundry room.

Although there was no fire, Spencer says the responding firefighters were kind to her. She says she also wants to thank the dispatcher who kept her relaxed.

“The dispatcher was so on it, and before I could even put the phone down — I was on my cell — they were here,” Spencer said.

She says the fire department checked every spot in her home, including the attic and crawlspaces.

“The lady was very kind. She was home alone, and we could not leave a lady stranded in that dire situation like that, so my guys did a great job going above and beyond just try to narrow things down,” Battalion Chief Wemand Graham said.

Spencer says she wants to give her thanks to the firefighters who were there that night for their hard work to make sure she was safe and calm.

“They said, ‘We are not going to leave you here. Stop crying. We are not going to leave you until we know you are secure,'” she said.

Jon Nieuwboer is one of the firefighters who was at the home that night.

“We get to come and we get to go. We don’t get to meet them, the residents or the taxpayers, so it was kind of nice. We spent time to make a new friend is what it was,” Nieuwboer said.

“The fire department was excellent. I think that the City of Jackson needs to know that. I want those men to know, I wish I knew their names, that I appreciate them. I applaud them what they did, the service that they gave to me as a senior citizen,” Spencer said.

Jackson Fire Department officials say it’s important to clean the lint from your dryer.