Crime & Safety
UPDATE: Napa City Fire Says Madison Street House Fire Sparked By Cigarette
Fire crews didn't leave until almost 5 a.m.
UPDATE: Via Bay City News Service at 2:02 p.m.
Napa City Fire Investigator Jeff Taylor said one of the residents smelled smoke and alerted the other tenants of the home at 583 Madison St. early this morning.
The two-alarm fire is believed to have been sparked by a cigarette left on the front porch, Taylor said. It was controlled within 30 minutes, and there were no injuries.
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Firefighters had to avoid a fallen power line that was arcing in front of the house when they arrived, Taylor said. They were at the scene until about 4:45 a.m.
Original story, posted at Noon, Monday:
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Napa City and Cal Fire firefighters responded to calls of a house fire on the 500 block of Madison Street early Monday morning.
When firefighters arrived, they discovered a three-story Victorian home with fire in the front of the building, and power lines downed by the fire.
Napa Fire Captain Steve Becker said they received initial reports that people were trapped in the structure but discovered all the occupants of the home had made it out safely, without injury, once fire crews arrived on scene.
“We believe the origin of the fire was below the power line drop,” Becker said. “They (the power lines) were not the cause of the fire. They were damaged because of the fire and fell to the street.”
Becker said firefighters stayed on scene until around 3:30 a.m.
“We had to do some thorough follow up/thorough overhaul to make sure the fire was extinguished,” he said.
According to Becker the home is not uninhabitable, but 30 percent of the living area was damaged, mainly the top floor and the front of the building. Becker said a conservative estimate on the damage is $100,000. The Red Cross is currently assisting the residents with their living needs, Becker said.
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