SCHUYLKILL HAVEN — An improperly discarded cigarette caused damage to two borough properties Wednesday, an assistant fire chief said.
“There was heavy fire in the front here,” Schuylkill Haven First Assistant Fire Chief Andrew Motko said of the front porch area at 201 S. Margaretta St., the yard and nearby tree and porch area of 203 S. Margaretta St.
Firefighters were dispatched to the 201 address for a working structure fire after a Schuylkill Haven Fire Police officer noticed the smoke. Chuck Reed said he was getting in his truck, which was parked on Margaretta Street, after directing traffic on Dock and Main streets about 3:30 p.m. and noticed the smoke. He called the fire into the Schuylkill County Communications Center. Firefighters responded in about two minutes, extinguishing the fire in about five.
No one was injured. A damage estimate was not available.
Motko said the fire appears to have started after two young women who live at the 201 address, along with three others, discarded their cigarettes in a plastic container in the yard after smoking them. He said somehow a fire started and lit nearby clothes and other items on fire. Family members had just finished cleaning out the attic, he said.
“When I came up, I could not even see up the street,” Motko said of all the thick, black smoke.
The fire did not do any interior damage to either of the properties. The wind may have helped to spread the fire, he said.
“It was that hot. It caught that big, thick tree on fire,” Motko said of a large, bare tree in front of 203 Margaretta St.
Damage to the roof of the porch at both addresses, which the firefighters had to open to expose the wood, was visible along with burnt bushes, an awning at 201, the wood of the large tree, which firefighters used water to extinguish the fire and later a chain saw to cut down.
Smokers should make sure cigarettes are extinguished before leaving an area. Having water nearby can help, he said.
Schuylkill Haven Assistant Fire Chief Jim Reed said five people live at 201 S. Margaretta St.: Christopher Matz, 39, Angie, 41, Rebecca, 22, Katelynn, 18, Danyael, 16, Paige, 14. . They rent the property that is owned by John and Stephanie Koch. Reed said they have renters insurance. The 203 address is owned by Frederick and Deborah Nebistinsky, according to the online Schuylkill County Parcel Locator. They have insurance, Reed said.
Angie Matz was not at home at the time of the fire. Rebecca said she and her sister, Katelynn, were smoking on the porch previously and thought they extinguished the cigarettes.
They noticed something was wrong when they smelled smoke from inside the house. Angie said they are thankful for the quick response by Reed and the Schuylkill Haven Fire Department.
All three fire companies responded to the fire.