Officials blame house blaze on cigarette

A discarded cigarette may be to blame for a fire that destroyed a north central Spokane home Friday night and caused one man to be sent to the hospital with smoke inhalation.

The fire started about 7 p.m., at 2724 E. Boone Ave. Spokane firefighters arrived to find smoke and flames coming from the front of the home, and initial reports said that someone may be trapped inside.

Crews searched the home but did not find any occupants.

The blaze was knocked down in about 10 minutes, but crews remained on the scene for several hours to remove burned material and check for pockets of hidden fire, fire officials said.

One unidentified 35-year-old man was treated for smoke inhalation at a local hospital. It was not known if he was a resident of the home.

Fire officials said the official cause of the blaze was improperly discarded smoking material.