Smoldering cigarette ignites Salem house fire

By KATU Web Staff Published: Jul 19, 2008 at 1:01 PM PST Last Updated: Nov 20, 2008 at 10:24 PM PST
Smoldering cigarette ignites Salem house fire
In this photo released by the Salem Fire Department, an unidentified fire official looks at damage caused by a Friday night fire at a Salem townhouse.

SALEM, Ore. - A cigarette left smoldering on the back patio of a Salem townhouse started a two-alarm fire Friday night that caused an estimated $75,000 damage, fire officials said.

It happened at a home at 6467 Fairway Ave. S.E. about 9 p.m., according to Bill Holmstrom, a Salem fire spokesman.

When firefighters arrived, flames were shooting about 20 feet in the air above the back of the two-story townhouse, he said.

It took crews about 20 minutes to control the blaze, which spread into the attic, Holmstrom said. No one was hurt.

The resident told investigators a friend had been smoking on the back patio, where the fire originated, he said.

The man was renting the townhome and did not have renter's insurance. He planned to stay with friends until the home could be repaired, Holmstrom said.