Fire in Derby caused by smoking material placed in an aluminum can
DERBY — Authorities say smoking materials placed in an aluminum can is what caused a fire that broke out at a single-family home on Main Street in Derby yesterday.
The fire was noticed at around 6:20 p.m.
The home was being used as an Airbnb rental and was occupied by three people, but nobody was home at the time of the fire.
Firefighters say they were able to quickly extinguish the fire on the porch and were successful in limiting the fire’s extension into the house.
The home sustained significant damage to the front and side porch and smoke and heat damage to the interior.
Derby Line Fire Chief Craig Ellam contacted fire investigators to demine the area of origin and the cause.
The investigation concluded that the fire began on the side porch in a sitting area where there were a table and some chairs.
“The cause of the fire was smoking materials placed in an aluminum beverage can,” Paul Cerutti, Assistant State Fire Marshal, said in a statement.
Cerutti says that the house did not have working smoke or CO alarms.
“I found the bases where the alarms had been, but no alarms,” he said.
The Derby Line Fire Department was assisted at the scene by the Newport City Fire Department.
