North Bay Fire and Emergency Services are reminding people about the dangers of careless smoking.

This after two fires this morning, with careless smoking believed to be the cause.

Just before 6 am, crews snuffed out a porch fire on the 300 block of Olive Street.

Then at 9 am crews were called to a house fire on the 2,100 of Trout Lake Road.

Tracy Roy has lived there for 20 years and tells BayToday he was in a back bedroom and smelled smoke.

“I walked into the spare bedroom and there was smoke coming off the blanket. I picked up the blanket to throw it in the bathtub or throw it outside and then the whole mattress exploded. The flames just went up and almost hit the roof, it just went nuts, I just backed up and slammed the bedroom door,” he says.

Roy was able to get out safely.

Just after 9 am a caller reported smoke and flames were visible, with the home right near the bypass.

“They knocked part of the wall down and all the flames came out, I was at the lights and I could see everything, and there was smoke,” she says.

Fire officials say the home suffered significant damage.

 

Photo by Chris Dawson/BayToday.ca