Smoldering Cigarette In Leaf Bag Causes House Fire

The extinguished a house fire on Nov. 6 that was started from a smoldering cigarette raked into a bag of leaves and left on the side of the home.

A passer-by who noticed a bag of leaves and the side of a home on Crissman Street in Utica was on fire, called 911 and knocked on the door to alert the two people inside.

According to a police report, the Good Samaritan and the homeowners tried to put out the fire by breaking open the bags of leaves with a rake, but the fire had already spread. 

The Utica Fire Department said the fire traveled from the bag and caught the siding of the home on fire. The fire caused exterior damage and interior smoke damage.

The owners of the home told fire investigators they were smoking and had guests over who were smoking as they raked and bagged the leaves in their yard 12-18 hours prior to the start of the fire.

"Based upon the findings of the investigation, it was determined that the fire was caused by a carelessly discarded cigarette, which had smoldered in the bags of leaves until having enough energy to ignite and burn freely," the police report stated.

No injuries were reported.