A house fire Sunday evening in Vancouver’s Old Evergreen Highway neighborhood was caused by an improperly disposed cigar that ignited combustibles, according to the Vancouver Fire Marshal’s Office. The estimated property and contents loss is $161,700, Fire Marshal Heidi Scarpelli said in an email. “This was a preventable fire. … Improper disposal of smoking materials is one of our top three fire causes in Vancouver,” Scarpelli said. “We urge our residents to use containers that are metal and fill them with sand or water.” One person was displaced, and the Red Cross is assisting them, according to the Vancouver Fire Department. Firefighters responded at about 7:35 p.m. after a 911 caller reported that their neighbor’s house was on fire and that the homeowner was trying to extinguish the blaze with a garden hose, the department said in a news release.

Nine units were dispatched to the 9100 block of Southeast Evergreen Highway. The first engine arrived within six minutes to find the homeowner outside and an active fire burning in the attic, the news release states. Crews started deploying hose lines into the house to keep the fire from spreading. The blaze was under control a short time later, according to the news release. No one was injured. “There were several large-scale incidents going on simultaneously to this fire, and several Vancouver Fire crews were pulled from this incident and sent to other emergencies in the area,” the fire department said.

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