Dropped Cigarette Causes 5-Alarm Pennsylvania Fire

May 3, 2014
A dropped cigarette ignited an oxygen system, sparking a blaze that destroyed a Hamburg row house and damaged two others.

May 03--Flames tore through a Hamburg row house early Friday when a dropped cigarette ignited an oxygen system, fire officials said.

The five-alarm blaze drew departments from Berks and Schuylkill counties.

The building, at 130 N. Third St. next to a mid-block alley at the end of a group of row houses, was destroyed. But firefighters were able to keep the fire from spreading and minimized damage to neighboring houses.

The building was engulfed in flames when firefighters arrived about 1:30 a.m., said Hamburg fire Deputy Chief Jarrod Emes.

"There was heavy, heavy fire already through the rear of the building when we got here," he said.

A firefighter from another department suffered minor injuries, Emes said. The firefighter, whose name was unavailable, underwent a precautionary medical evaluation and was released.

Damage to the home is estimated at $230,000. There was also some minor smoke, water and heat damage to houses at 126 and 132 N. Third St.

The cause of the fire has been ruled as careless smoking, Emes said. He urged residents to be careful with lit cigarettes.

One of the occupants of the house, who started to fall asleep while smoking, suffered a minor burn from the cigarette. But other than that, no residents were injured.

The names of the two adults and a child who were displaced by the fire were unavailable.

Firefighters remained at the house until after 5 a.m. putting out small pockets of flames, Emes said.

Contact Liam Migdail-Smith: 610-371-5022 or [email protected].

Copyright 2014 - Reading Eagle, Pa.

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