Fire Marshal: Discarded Cigarette Butt Sparked Major Blaze
Posted/updated on: August 7, 2015 at 5:15 pmTYLER – The Smith County Fire Marshal’s Office has determined the cause of Tuesday’s Continental Battery Warehouse fire as accidental. But that comes with a strong advisory from Fire Marshal Jay Brooks, who says the blaze was sparked by an improperly disposed of cigarette butt. The facility is located on Reynolds Road in northeastern Smith County. The discarded cigarette ignited ground cover which quickly spread to a pile of recently cut brush from around the building, as well as a vehicle parked near the building, according to Brooks. He says the fire then spread to the building before firefighters arrived on the scene. No civilians were injured, but one firefighter was treated at the scene for minor heat illness. The building and vehicle were a total loss, but Brooks says the condition of the inventory has not yet been received.