A fire late last month in the North Hearthwood neighborhood was most likely caused by improperly discarding smoking materials, according to Vancouver Fire Marshal Heidi Scarpelli.
Fire officials were called at 9:44 a.m. Sept. 29 to 1400 N.E. 139th Ave. for a garage fire that had reached into the house. The fire caused an estimated $134,000 damage, Scarpelli said.
Scarpelli said that many of the fires that result in multimillion-dollar losses are started this way.
“These types of fires can be prevented,” Scarpelli said. “It’s really important to discard smoking material in some kind of noncombustible vessel with either water or sand in it.”
