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LARKSVILLE — A fire at a residence on Nesbitt Street Tuesday caused minor damage to the building’s exterior and a rear porch.

Officials at the scene said the fire may have been caused by a carelessly-discarded cigarette butt.

Luzerne County 911 said crews were dispatched to the residence in the 200 block of Nesbitt Street for a report of a residential structure fire.

Larksville fire chief Andrew Kachmar explained the building at 206 Nesbitt St. houses four apartments. He believed the fire started in the back porch of a second-floor residence.

“What they had there was some old cardboard boxes, a couple of potted plants,” Kachmar. He also said there was a container there that appeared to be an outdoor ashtray.

“It looks like somebody may have thought they put a cigarette out or just dropped it in the ashtray, and over a period of time, it just caught the cardboard on fire and spread to the rest of the building,” he said.

Crews were seen tearing away at the walls and porch area near the rear of the building so they could spray water at hard-to-reach spots. A woman who saw the fire, who declined to be identified, said she heard an explosion before seeing the fire. She then ran inside to alert another woman, who was taking a nap at the time.

The woman inside the residence at the time also declined to be identified.

Kachmar said crews were able to put the fire out in time to prevent it from spreading.

He said residents would be able to return to the residence and no injuries were reported. He added that no further investigation would be conducted.

Courtdale and Larksville firefighters extinguish a porch fire at a Nesbitt street apartment building in Larksville Tuesday afternoon.
https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/12/web1_TTL120215porchfire11.jpg.optimal.jpgCourtdale and Larksville firefighters extinguish a porch fire at a Nesbitt street apartment building in Larksville Tuesday afternoon. Aimee Dilger | Times Leader

By Travis Kellar

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Reach Travis Kellar at 570-991-6389 or on Twitter @TLNews