Weekend House Fire on Blake Sparked by Discarded Cigarette

By Bay City News Service

A fire at a Berkeley home on Sunday afternoon that caused about $85,000 in damage was sparked by a discarded cigarette, a fire official said.

The one-alarm blaze was reported at a home in the 1700 block of Blake Street just before 2:30 p.m., Berkeley acting Deputy Chief Avery Webb said. The blaze was controlled at 3:02 p.m., Webb said.

An initial investigation indicated that the fire started on the home's porch when a cigarette was thrown onto a pile of items that included papers, Webb said. The cigarette caught the materials on fire, and the flames spread to the roof and got into the attic.

There was $75,000 in damage to the home and an additional $10,000 in damage to its contents, Webb said.

When firefighters arrived, the home was unoccupied and neighbors had gotten garden hoses out in an attempt to put out the flames, Webb said.

No injuries were reported.

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