Early morning blaze on Johnson Lane

Cigarette butts from an ashtray emptied into a trash can are being blamed for an early morning house fire at 100 Johnson Lane in Franklin today.
Fire Chief Chuck Bourgeois said the fire originated in the second-floor kitchen and caused about $30,000 in damages to the structure and contents.
The fire was reported at 6:42 a.m. and took 20 minutes to contain and extinguish after firefighters arrived within 2 minutes. There were no injuries and firefighters were on scene until 8:30 a.m.
It was the second fire in less than a week caused by improper disposal of cigarette butts. Bourgeois said on Sunday a bathroom at a Scottie Street residence caught fire after an unattended cigarette fell out of an ashtray onto some clothes. Damages in that incident were minimal, he added.
Also in both incidents, he said, neither residence had working smoke detectors. The family dog had alerted the residents of the Johnson Lane fire today.
The chief cautioned everyone to be mindful of cigarette disposal as well as installation and upkeep of smoke detectors.
“Smoke detector batteries should be replaced once a year,” Bourgeois said.
The Franklin FD has smoke detectors obtained through a grant for the elderly and will come install them. Senior citizens may call the department at 828-6328 for service.
The Franklin FD received assistance at the scene this morning by personnel from Baldwin, Centerville, Chitimacha and District 11 fire departments.