A cigarette or cigar discarded in a planter box at an apartment building on Harriet Road sparked a fire last Friday.
Around 11:30 a.m. Saanich fire crews responded to the 2900-block of Harriet Rd. to find a smoke and fire coming from a fourth storey balcony.
The fire was quickly extinguished, with damage contained solely to the balcony. Saanich fire Lt. Darwin Schellenberg said damage to the building is estimated at $3,000.
“The tenant was a smoker, and there was no other source of ignition or other type of fuel that would’ve ignited the flower box other than careless use of a smoking material,” he said.
kslavin@saanichnews.com