Petaluma family displaced by fire started by cigarette stash

Stashed cigarettes apparently led to fire at Petaluma duplex, fire officials said.|

A Petaluma teen who stashed illicit cigarettes in a plastic receptacle outside her family’s Vallejo Street duplex apparently sparked a fire that caused enough damage to displace them Wednesday evening, fire officials said.

The fire started around 5:30 p.m., caught a wooden fence and made its way to the front entryway before the 15-year-old girl opened the door to investigate popping sounds and the flames began blowing inside, Petaluma Fire Battalion Chief Jeff Holden said.

She ran out a side door as the fire came inside, moved into a bedroom and hallway and began burning into the ceiling.

A neighbor who attacked the fire with a garden hose helped limits its spread, Holden said.

Though some fire got into the attic, the adjoining condominium was spared, as was a separate nearby unit.

Damage to the structure and contents was estimated at about $50,000.

The American Red Cross was making arrangements to put the family up overnight. Two cats also were displaced.

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