Porch fire in Willmar, Minn., caused by cigarette, fire chief says use caution

WILLMAR -- The Willmar Fire Chief is urging citizens to use extreme caution when using cigarettes or fireworks or having recreational fires after the fire department responded Sunday afternoon to a fire caused by the careless discarding of a cigarette.

According to Fire Chief Marv Calvin, a homeowner discarded a cigarette Sunday afternoon and the cigarette started a fire under a porch at 423 Fourth St. S.E. An alert neighbor put the fire out with an extinguisher and the responding firefighters made sure the blaze hadn't entered the structure of the home. The fire was reported around 3:40 p.m. Sunday

The house is still habitable, Calvin said, but the homeowner will need to make repairs to the porch.