A dishwasher is not an appliance you’d expect to catch on fire, but it happened to one woman, who then documented it for posterity and decided to share it with the world.
The video came from creator Lizzy Cayer (@lizzycayer). She posted it on March 28, and it has gotten more than 453,000 views as of this writing.
The 15-second clip appears to capture Lizzy on a call but pausing to show that, yes, the Maytag dishwasher located under her microwave oven in her kitchen has flames coming out of it.
“Bro, I hear a noise,” she begins. “This is the first time I’ve used this, and there’s literally fire coming from my dishwasher.” She then prudently adds, “So, holy [expletive], I may have to call the fire department. I’ll call you back.”
The video shows first smoke emitting from the top of the dishwasher and then actual flames. A “32” appears on the display—seemingly an error code triggered by the thing that is clearly wrong with the dishwasher.
Does this happen a lot?
According to Prism Specialties, “Dishwashers are the second most common source of a kitchen fire caused by non-cooking appliances. Dishwashers combine electronics and heating elements with water, which is the perfect environment for electric fires to begin.”
In an article titled “Are Dishwashers a Fire Hazard?” Donovan Waterworks added, “While cooking appliances, such as your oven or toaster, are indeed the most likely to start a fire, your dishwasher is the biggest risk of all your non-cooking appliances. The combination of electronics and heating elements in proximity to water means there’s a chance any malfunction of your dishwasher could result in fire.”
That article identified worn-out electrical cords, a dirty grease filter, an overloaded dishwasher, and poor maintenance as the main culprits leading to such a disaster.
@lizzycayer #fire #diashwasherfir #waterfire #electricalfire ♬ original sound – lizzycayer
What do people think?
A number of commenters had issues with the creator recording a video rather than attending to the fire.
“[Generational] differences,” one tutted. “Us older people would trip the breaker. This younger generation grabs their phones and records a TT video.”
“Wow, that’s crazy. I would’ve called the fire department before making his video though, but I hope you’re safe,” said another.
“1st things 1st grab your phone and make a TikTok about it,” another observed. “Wait for fire to emerge from the dishwasher then think about solving the problem.”
But one came to Lizzy’s defense, pointing out, “The people in these comments disappoint me…. You have to show documented proof for everything! She obviously took the video for proof, then flipped breaker and called fire dept!!! Posted video later!!”
Lizzy responded with a prayer hands emoji.
Someone else related it to a past lived experience. “Similar thing happened to me,” that person shared. “Dishwasher cut off mid cycle and house filled with smoke. Called 911 and turned out to be the dishwasher’s main board. The wire caps weren’t secure and it was arcing.”
One found occasion to make a joke about the situation.
“Is there a Tesla in the dishwasher?” that person said, referencing an issue prevalent enough in news accounts that there’s a site that appeared to be actively tracking stories up through February 2024.
“Now that’s funny!!!” Lizzy said.
The Daily Dot has reached out to the creator via TikTok comment and to Maytag via email.
Internet culture is chaotic—but we’ll break it down for you in one daily email. Sign up for the Daily Dot’s web_crawlr newsletter here. You’ll get the best (and worst) of the internet straight into your inbox.
