A two-alarm fire that damaged an apartment building in Vancouver late Saturday was caused by an improperly discarded cigarette.
The cigarette butt was thrown on the deck of an apartment at 1909 E. Sixth St. and caught nearby combustibles on fire, which spread and damaged two units, said Vancouver Fire Marshal Heidi Scarpelli. The fire was called into 911 at 9:05 p.m. Saturday and was declared under control at 9:50 p.m.
Scarpelli said a total of 16 people were displaced from the eight-unit building in the Hudson’s Bay neighborhood. The fire caused an estimated $455,000 damage.
“This fire was a preventable fire,” Scarpelli said. “It’s critical (cigarette) butts are put in water or sand in some kind of metal container.”
