A quick-thinking Victoria woman helped contain a fire at her home until firefighters arrived early Friday morning.
Just after midnight, Victoria Fire officials responded to reports of a blaze in the rear deck of a house in the 1100-block of Kings Road.
When firefighters arrived, they found that resident of the house was already fighting the blaze with a nearby garden hose. Firefighters then took over the situation and extinguished the flames.
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Battalion Chief Greg Batters told Victoria Buzz that he was impressed with the woman’s “quick action” and for calling 911 before trying to mitigate the situation, but also believes that the blaze was sparked by the “careless discarding of a cigarette butt.”
“She did the right steps after the fact,” said Batters. “[It’s] too bad the cigarette butt she thought she put out fell into a recycling box.”
Officials are reminding residents to completely put out all smoking materials before disposing of them.
In total, a small deck, a soffit area, and one exterior wall were impacted by the blaze. Damage to the home is estimated at $10,000.
