Cigarette Butts to Blame for Burned Residential Fence

Firefighters on Tuesday afternoon responded quickly to a small blaze caused by cigarette butts, according to the Mercer Island Fire Department.

MIFD Engine 91 responded to the "brush fire" between two single-family homes at on the 4100 block of Island Crest Way near SE 42nd Street at 2:37 p.m. The small fire, which burned a 10-foot section of a chain-link fence, small cedar trees and shrubs, was quickly extinguished.

MIFD Battalion Chief Shawn Matheson said the likely cause of the fire was a can of cigarette butts positioned near the fenceline of a backyard fence. The fire department said no residents were found at home during the time of the blaze.

"This could have extended beyond the fence if we hadn't extinguished it," Matheson said.

Damages were estimated at $1,000.