Labor Day Smoking Incident Causes $50K in Damage: Fire Marshal

Fire broke out behind an Edgewood townhouse Monday after a discarded cigarette ignited vegetation, according to the Office of the State Fire Marshal.

At 12:02 p.m. on Sept. 7, a neighbor reported the blaze in the 700 block of St. Peters Court to authorities, the fire marshal said.

When first responders arrived, fire was visible behind the townhouse, where the crew conducted a search and found nobody was inside, according to the Joppa-Magnolia Volunteer Fire Company.

Approximately 40 firefighters—from Joppa-Magnolia, Abingdon, APG and Kingsville—responded to the scene, the fire marshal reported. The Ladies Auxiliary from the Bel Air Volunteer Fire Company also reportedly arrived with refreshments for the firefighters.

Flames spread to the attic before the blaze was declared under control at 12:31 p.m., according to Joppa-Magnolia.

Investigators determined that a cigarette had been put out in a flowerpot and ignited dried vegetation, according to the report.

As a result, there was $50,000 in structural damage to the middle-of-the-group townhouse, the fire marshal reported.

Nobody was injured in the incident, according to the report.

The fire marshal advises people to dispose of smoking materials using sturdy ash trays and to make sure anything lit is completely extinguished before it is left unattended.

A fire caused by an improperly disposed of cigarette drew firefighters to the 700 block of St. Peters Court on Labor Day. Photo Credit: Joppa-Magnolia Volunteer Fire Company.