Crime & Safety

Firefighters Say Smoking Caused Weymouth House Fire

The fire left the residents temporarily homeless and caused over $150,000 worth of damage.

A Weymouth home was seriously damaged early Tuesday morning after a fire caused by smoking materials broke out on the back deck of the house.

Weymouth Fire officials believe the blaze at 33 Roosevelt Road was most likely caused by the “careless disposal of smoking materials.”

The fire left the residents temporarily homeless and caused over $150,000 worth of damage, according to Justin Myers, a Weymouth Fire Prevention Coordinator. 

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The flames started in the rear deck of the home at around 3 a.m. and quickly traveled up the vinyl siding and entering the attic through the vinyl soffit vents, Weymouth firefighter said in a statement.

Fire crews were on scene for approximately three hours fighting the blaze and salving materials.

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“All crews actively worked the fire quickly bringing the fire under control and preventing damage to any of the neighboring properties,” the department said in a statement. “The efforts of the fire crews stopped the fire in the attic preventing what might have been a total loss.”

The residents of the home were able to escape without injury after calling 911. Firefighter said they would not be able to return to the home until repairs are made.

No firefighters were injured by the blaze.

Weymouth Firefighter said they have seen fires started by smoking in the past and are warning residents of the dangers of cigarette disposal.

Weymouth Fire Chief Keith Stark said the best way to dispose cigarette butts and ashes is by dousing them in water or sand.

Smoking caused 4 percent of reported fires in Massachusetts during 2011. Out of the nearly 2,000 fires caused by improper disposal of smoking materials that year, four people were killed, according to the Massachusetts Fire Incident Reporting System.


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