A discarded cigarette is blamed for a fire at Paradise Inn July 25, Fire Marshal Dan Shook reported.
At about 2:06 a.m. Tuesday, July 25, the Bay City Volunteer Fire Department, the Bay City Fire Marshal, and the Bay City Police Department were dispatched to a building fire at Paradise Inn, 3501 7th St.
The manager of the motel was notified by the tenant in room 108 that his room was on fire.
Motel staff used two fire extinguishers to quickly extinguish the flames, which were confined to a garbage can and dresser in the room.
The fire department arrived on scene and used ventilation equipment to evacuate the smoke from the unit. The fire damage was estimated to be about $250.
No one was injured during the incident.
The fire marshal performed an investigation of the incident.
The tenant was smoking and thought he completely extinguished the cigarette before dumping the ashtray into the garbage can.
The tenant was lying on the bed when he smelled the smoke.
The hot embers from the cigarette caught the contents of the trash can on fire, consuming the can and damaging the dresser.
There were no working smoke detectors in the room at the time of the fire.
The fire cause was listed as improperly discarded smoking material.
Smokers are encouraged to ensure that all smoking material is completely extinguished before discarding into the trash.
The fire marshal recommends wetting the cigarette and ashes prior to discarding, to ensure the ashes are cool.
The fire marshal would also like to remind residents to have working smoke detectors in all sleeping areas.
In this case, there was no injury; but, had the tenant gone to sleep prior to the start of the fire, this incident could have resulted in an injury or death.
