A cigarette is the culprit in an early morning house fire Friday.
BX-Swan Lake firefighters were called to the home in the 700 block of 35th Avenue just before 1 a.m.
Hay bales stored at the back of the home were sparked safter an occupant had gone out on to the patio for a cigarette.
“There was a bit of damage to the house,” said firefighter Dave Sibilleau, who was first on scene at the fire.
“It went up into the patio, burnt through it and got into the wall.
“But it didn’t get into the house.”
Sibilleau says the occupants were lucky as the damage could have been much greater.
He credits another occupant for attacking the blaze until firefighters arrived.
“One of the people there had a garden hose and was doing their best to keep it down until we got there with bigger fire power.”
Along with smokers being extra conscious of properly extinguishing their cigarettes, Sibilleau insists that the storage of hay next to a residence is a fire hazard that all homeowners should be cautious of.
