2 Injured In Riverside House Fire Sparked By Lit Cigarette

RIVERSIDE (CBSLA) — A bedtime cigarette sparked a fire at a Riverside home over the weekend, according to fire officials.

Firefighters were called out to a house fire in the 2000 block of Marlborough at about 6:54 a.m. Saturday, and found a single-story duplex with smoke showing from the back. When crews made their way inside the home, they found one person at the back door, trying to get out.

After rescuing that person and putting out the fire in the main bedroom, firefighters determined the fire started in a mattress and surrounding clothes and was most likely started by a cigarette. The woman who was rescued told firefighters she fell asleep while smoking in bed, according to Riverside Fire officials.

She was taken to a hospital for further treatment. A second person – who had tried to rescue the woman who had fallen asleep in the main bedroom where the fire started -- was treated at the scene and released against medical advice, fire officials said.

The loss caused by the fire was estimated at $17,000.