By PAUL AYARS
THE COURIER

"I’m Murphy and this is Murphy’s law," Jackie Bruketa was saying Friday evening after her two-story downtown apartment at 116 S. Chicago St., sustained an estimated $50,000 damage when a clothes-dryer fire raced into a wall cavity and jumped across two false ceilings into another first-floor room.

"The dryer fire apparently ignited the (apartment) fire," Lincoln fire inspector Jim Davis said. "Probably there was a lint buildup" in the dryer that triggered the fire.

A woman who does Bruketa’s laundry ran to her Jackie and Charlie’s Pour House two doors down to tell Bruketa the dryer was on fire.

Acquaintances of Bruketa pulled down a thick, burning curtain separating the laundry area from other parts of the apartment and used a fire extinguisher and a bucket of water to try to douse that fire.

The blaze, however, was already on its damaging course through the wall cavity and the Lincoln Fire Department was summoned by a 911 call at 5:21 p.m.

Assistant chief Steve Dahm said crucial time was lost by attempting to douse the fire before calling firefighters.

"Every second, every minute counts," he said.

Firefighters fought the fire on both floors, tearing out first and second-story ceiling and walls to curb the fiery outbreak.

Lincoln Rural firefighters responded as well as Lincoln City.

Logan County Paramedics were at the scene to provide aid, if necessary. Lincoln Police blocked off several blocks of the downtown area while firefighters knocked down the blaze.

Dahm said a firefighter sustained a cut on his hand and one of the early helpers at the scene was treated on site for smoke inhalation.

Both floors of Bruketa’s apartment suffered smoke damage.

Bruketa was not home at the time, but worried awhile about the fate of her two dogs and a cat in the apartment at the time of the blaze. All three were found unharmed, she said late Friday.

"My cat’s OK, the dogs are OK, but I’m a wreck," Bruketa said.

Firefighters cleared the scene at 7:43 p.m., leaving the suspect dryer outside, its backside charred.