FARGO - A south Fargo homeowner escaped a house fire after a window shattered, waking her from a nap this afternoon.
Firefighters responded at 1:20 p.m. to a report of a deck fire at 1914 53rd Ave. S.
Police Officer Chris Bergem said the woman was alerted to the fire by the breaking glass, but she was not hurt.
The woman smelled smoke and called 911, Fargo Fire Marshal Norm Scott said.
The cause of the fire hadn't been determined, but Scott said the homeowner "informed me that she was out there and had a cigarette a little bit earlier.
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"She said she thought she got it out pretty good, put it in the ceramic flower pot," he said. "However, with the wind the way it is today - I'm not saying it was the cigarette, but anything's possible."
The woman got her pet dog out of the house safely, but two cats were left inside. At least one of them was carried out alive by a firefighter.
Firefighters attacked the blaze in the roof and both levels of the bi-level home, which sustained extreme fire damage, Scott said. The flames appeared to have spread up the side of the house and into the soffit and attic, he said. The house did not have vinyl siding, as was the case with last weeks' Galleria On 42nd apartment fire.
Scott said the fire caused a propane tank on the deck to vent, feeding the flames. Windy conditions also played a role in the blaze.
A Salvation Army official assisting the homeowners at the scene said they didn't want to speak to the media. City assessor records list the home's owners as Douglas and Donna Windom.
