Dryer Catches Fire at Suds Car Wash Near Wilmette

Evanston firefighters fought a blaze at Suds Car Wash, 2212 Green Bay Rd. near the Wilmette border, after an industrial dryer caught fire Thursday evening.

The fire started around 6:45 p.m. inside one of the dryers the car wash uses to dry rags, according to Evanston Fire Division Chief Dwight Hohl. No one was in the building, but a passerby saw smoke inside the car wash and called 9-11, Hohl said.

Evanston's fire engine 21 responded to the scene, and firefighters were able to put out the blaze. No one was injured, and there was no serious damage to the car wash, according to Hohl. The fire department is still investigating the cause of the fire, he said.

Reached Friday morning, a manager at Suds said the car wash was closed that day, not because of the fire, but because of the poor weather. He said a crew was installing two new dryers, and the car wash would be back open Saturday for business.

Chief Hohl said the fire caused approximately $6,000 in damage, including $4,000 for one lost dryer and another $2,000 in smoke damage.