Cigarette sparks Marysville fire, displaces family

Published 10:59 pm Monday, September 15, 2008

MARYSVILLE — A carelessly discarded cigarette is blamed for starting a fire that caused $100,000 damage to a Marysville home early Sunday.

The blaze displaced a family of five. No one was hurt, but two cats are missing, Marysville Fire spokeswoman Stephanie Price said.

The fire started about 5:40 a.m. in a modular home in the 3600 block of 138th Street NW, she said.

A teenager believed he had extinguished a cigarette in a porch planter. Instead, “it just sat there and smoldered until the morning,” said Bruce Pulver, a fire investigator with the Snohomish County Fire Marhsal’s Office.

The father woke up, smelled smoke and got the family out safely. When firefighters arrived, part of the home was fully engulfed in flames.

Crews sprayed about 2,500 gallons of water onto the home. It took them about 10 minutes to extinguish the blaze, Price said. Firefighters had to open up the ceiling to make sure there were no hot spots.

The home likely will be a total loss, Pulver said.

It was the second fire at the residence in the past two years, he said. An electrical problem sparked a small garage fire about a year and a half ago.

“They’ve had their share of fires,” he said.

The family found a place to stay.

“They had enough family and friends in the area, so they should be OK,” Price said.

The fire is a good reminder to be extremely cautious when extinguishing smoking materials, officials said.

A second fire Sunday in a closet in the Stanwood area also was started as a result of careless cigarette use, Pulver said.

Using a bucket of water as an ash tray is the safest thing to do, Pulver said.

“That way you know it’s out,” he said.

It’s also a good idea to check smoke detectors at least twice a year, the fire investigator added.

Reporter Jackson Holtz: 425-339-3437 or jholtz@heraldnet.com