Damage In Woburn Fire Tops $500,000

WOBURN, MA — A carelessly discarded cigarette caused Sunday night's fire that left 16 residents of a Woburn apartment complex without a home, Woburn Fire Chief Stephen Adgate and State Fire Marshal Peter J. Ostroskey said in a joint statement Tuesday. The fire at Tudor Glen Village Apartments on Locust Street caused an estimated $500,000 in damage to four units. The fire was reported around 8:17 p.m. Sunday.

"Fortunately, no one was injured but exterior smoking fires can threaten our densely built neighborhoods," Adgate said. "They can burn for a long time undetected by occupants or interior smoke alarms and spread to multiple structures."

Investigators said the fire started on a shelf inside a storage closet on the patio of one of the units. Fire officials found an ashtray, lighter and a burned package of cigarettes, as well as other flammable household items, in the area where the fire started.

"As we move smokers outside for health reasons, we have seen the number of smoking fires that start on patios, porches and decks dramatically increase," Ostroskey said. "It’s important to put out all smoking materials in a can of sand. All the way, every time."

In a Facebook post, the Woburn School Committee said several families with children at the Reeves Elementary School had been displaced by the fire. The school system is taking donations at Reeves Elementary starting Tuesday from 10:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. and will also set up an after-hours donation spot.