Hagerstown-area house fire caused by improperly discarded smoking materials

The American Red Cross is helping the residents of a Hagerstown-area home that was badly damaged by fire early Tuesday morning, according to the Maryland Office of the State Fire Marshal.

No injuries were reported from the fire, according to a release from the fire marshal's office.

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The fire in the 1200 block of Wabash Avenue was ruled accidental and was caused by "improperly discarded smoking material," the new release states. The fire originated on the front porch. An occupant of the home discovered the fire.

Forty-two firefighters responded to the fire, which occurred around 3:18 a.m. Tuesday.

Wabash Avenue is near Hagerstown's Hellane Park in the West End.

A fire Tuesday morning that destroyed this Wabash Avenue home was caused by improperly discarded smoking material, according to the Maryland Office of the State Fire Marshal.
A fire Tuesday morning that destroyed this Wabash Avenue home was caused by improperly discarded smoking material, according to the Maryland Office of the State Fire Marshal.

Damage was estimated at $75,000, including $70,000 to the structure and $5,000 to the contents, the release states.

The fire marshal's release notes the single-family home did not have a smoke alarm or sprinklers.

The Volunteer Fire Company of Halfway was among the responding fire companies.

It took 35 minutes to get the fire under control, according to the fire marshal's office.

"Under control" generally means the main fire has been knocked down and firefighters then look for hot spots.

This article originally appeared on The Herald-Mail: Red Cross helping Western Maryland family after house fire