Effingham firefighters responded to a call of smoke in the basement of a house at 1401 South Willow around 3:15 p.m. Saturday.
Captain J.R. Nieman said a dehumidifier caught fire and caused smoke to fill the basement. It took a minimal amount of water to douse the appliance that he said was melted when they arrived.
“There have been some recalls on these dehumidifiers,” said Nieman.
He was unable to determine the model of this particular dehumidifier, however, because of the damage to the unit.
After noting lights were flickering, the family shut off the main electrical power to the home and left the house safely.
There were no injuries.