Cigarettes to blame in Red Oak blazes

 Cigarettes were blamed in two separate structure fires in Red Oak this week.

Firefighters were called to the first — an apartment fire — on Feb. 16. Red Oak Fire Chief John Bruce said the call came at around 8 a.m. at 107 East Hammond St.  Firefighters encountered moderate smoke and found the fire in a closet in an upstairs apartment. The blaze was limited to the closet interior and was quickly extinguished. 

Damage estimates were around $5,000. An investigation determined that cigarettes had been disposed of into a plastic waste container and ignited other materials, sparking the blaze. 

No injuries were reported, a situation that Bruce attributed to the building’s working smoke detectors. 

The second fire was around 1 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 18, at 1111 E. Reed St. The fire department reported that a neighbor had discarded some cigarettes next to their driveway, and the cigarettes set some leaves on fire. The flames spread to bushes and then the structure, causing about $2,500 in damage to the exterior. 

No injuries were reported in that fire.