A discarded cigarette is believed to be the cause of a house fire in Huntsville.
On March 11, the Huntsville/Lake of Bays Fire Department responded to a report of a fire at a home on Line Hill Road at approximately 9:30 a.m.
When firefighters arrived, an occupant had already used water to knock down the flames, limiting the spread of the fire to the living room area.
At the time of the fire, three adults and two cats were inside the home. The fire started in the ground-floor living room, where an elderly occupant had been sleeping, while two other occupants were asleep in the basement.
According to the fire department, the home did not have working smoke alarms, meaning none of the occupants received an early warning. One resident eventually smelled smoke and discovered a large fire growing in the living room, with thick smoke filling the home.
The elderly occupant was taken to Huntsville Hospital for treatment of smoke inhalation. Damage from the fire is estimated at $8,000.
After investigating the scene, firefighters determined the blaze began when a discarded cigarette ignited yarn and other knitting materials inside a wicker basket.
Steve Markham, Public Education and Fire Prevention Officer with the Huntsville/Lake of Bays Fire Department, says seniors face a higher risk in residential fires and that between 2014 and 2023, 39 per cent of residential fatal fire victims in Ontario were over the age of 65.
“The most effective way to protect our parents and grandparents is by providing at least one smoke alarm on every level, stay away from gifting things like fire blankets,” Markham said. “Only working smoke alarms save lives.”
