Santa Cruz Fire: Home damaged in fire believed to be caused by smoking materials

SANTA CRUZ, Calif. (KION) The Santa Cruz Fire Department said a home was damaged Monday in a fire they believe was started by smoking materials thrown away in a garbage can.

Firefighters responded to Wilkes Circle at around 4:20 p.m. after a report that the back of a house was on fire, and when they arrived, they found smoke and flames coming from the back of a 2-story house. Firefighters made sure everyone was out of the house, shut off utilities and put the fire out within about 10 minutes.

The person at the home told crews that he was taking a nap upstairs when he heard the CO detector at the top of the stairs. When he went downstairs, he said he found the fire and got out of the house.

The department estimates that the fire caused about $20,000 in damage, but no injuries were reported. They believe the fire was started by the smoking materials thrown away in a garbage can at the back of the home.

Firefighters are reminding everyone to install smoke and carbon monoxide detectors in their homes and change the batteries every six months.