A fire that started at an apartment building and spread to a neighbouring house in Halifax on Wednesday was caused by a discarded cigarette.
“It’s accidental, in our eyes,” Fire Prevention Division Chief Matt Covey said on Thursday.
Firefighters were called to 6618 Quinpool Rd. at 7:51 p.m. and arrived five minutes later. There were no reported injuries.
About a dozen people have been displaced, according to the Canadian Red Cross, which is assisting tenants.
The cigarette originated from the second-floor deck.
READ MORE: No injuries reported in Quinpool Road house fires
Discarded smoking materials and ashes have caused 44 fires so far this year in the municipality.
“So, it happens, and it happens quite frequently,” said Covey. “To discard your smoking materials outside on your deck, we would recommend a steel container with sand that’s cleaned out frequently.”
The buildings are believed to be salvageable — the apartment building received most of the damage.
“My bed has ceiling on it, and water is still flowing through,” Alexandria Samson, a tenant of the building, said after going through her apartment the day after the fire.
She said she heard someone yell that there was a fire, so she pulled the fire alarm. She rushed outside with her dog and roommate.
In a way, the experience was humbling, Samson said: “I realized that nothing else mattered other than getting me and my roommate, and our cat and dog out.”
She said she was encouraged by neighbours offering her a place to stay for the night, and a woman who gave her a gift card after hearing about her evening.
“People have been really kind,” said Samson, who has renter’s insurance.
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