A Darlington home suffered substantial damage Wednesday afternoon when a carelessly discarded cigarette ignited a fire on the deck, rear siding, and roof of the home.
At 4:11 p.m. Wednesday, a fire was reported in the rear of a two-story, single family home in the 1200 block of Main Street in Darlington. A passerby and neighbors observed heavy smoke coming from the rear of the house and alerted the homeowner – who was unaware his home was on fire. The investigation revealed the fire originated on the 2nd floor rear deck and was caused by an improperly discarded cigarette, which subsequently ignited the siding on the rear deck spreading fire upwards towards the roof.
Sixty firefighters from Darlington, Level, Susquehanna Hose Company, Port Deposit, Rising Sun, and Delta-Cardiff responded to the single-alarm call and had the fire under control within 10 minutes.
The homeowner escaped without injury and the fire was contained to the rear deck and roof. The Maryland State Fire Marshal’s Office estimated the blaze caused $75,000 to the home and another $15,000 to its contents. A smoke alarm was not present in the home.
The quick action of the passerby and the fire department are being credited by the State Fire Marshal’s Office for helping contain the fire to the rear deck and half of the roof. The family is being assisted by family and friends.
Well at least this time it was the property of the person who carelessly threw out the cigarette that burned and not someone else’s. I wish people would stop littering with their cigarettes like its somehow okay.