Firefighters extinguish blaze at Lambert Street laundromat for second time in a week

They received the call at approximately 7.19am and rushed to the scene, where they found a fire in the back of the building.

NSW Fire and Rescue Bathurst Station Officer Doug Fisk said firefighters had to cut through the security cage to gain entry to the property.

Gas and electricity supply to the building also had to be switched off.

Firefighters were able to extinguish the blaze in about half an hour, but were on the scene for around 90 minutes in total to assist with the clean-up.

"There was a fair bit of clean-up involved because there was a lot of laundry and sheets and towels and things like that, and they tend to smoulder for a while, so we had to drag those things out to make sure they were extinguished properly," Station Officer Fisk said.

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Police and paramedics were also in attendance on Tuesday morning. No-one was injured in the incident.

Sadly for all involved, this was the second fire at the premises this week, with firefighters called to the laundromat two days earlier for a smaller fire.

"Unfortunately, [the owner] is having a bit of a tough run of it. She only took over the business a few months ago, and it was a more substantial fire this time in the rear of the premises," Station Officer Fisk said.

"As yet, we're not able to determine the cause, but it's caused significant damage to the rear of the property, both smoke and fire [damage]."

The front area, which contained the washing machines and dryers, was not affected by the flames, but Station Officer Fisk said it would "take a little bit" for the owner to get the back section of the premises up and running again.

While the cause of the fire has yet to be determined, he said it was a timely reminder for people to make sure they are taking precautions with their own laundries at home.

"It's just a good reminder for people to check the lint filters on their dryers regularly, because it can be an area of concern in a home," he said.

"We often see fires start in dryers because people haven't - and that's not the reason for this fire, but it's just a timely reminder to please check your lint filters.

"We'd hate to see someone come a cropper if it's easily preventable like that."

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