Careless smoking is blamed as a cause to a fire early Thursday morning in Salina.

According to the Salina Fire Department, at 5:15 in the morning crews responded to a house fire at 507 N. 12th.

In a news release Fire Inspector Troy Long said “the occupants inside the home were alerted to the fire by a working smoke alarm and were able to evacuate the burning structure. This is a clear example of how working smoke alarms save lives.”

Long noted that the occupants were sleeping in the room where the fire started and could have easily been trapped by the fire had they not been alerted by the smoke alarm.

Long determined the fire was caused by improper disposal of smoking materials in the bedroom. Fire damage is estimated at $35,000.00.

Long stresses that “all residential dwellings should have a working smoke alarm and battery operated smoke alarms should have their batteries changed twice per year.”