Investigators Say Improperly Discarded Ashes Spark House Fire

An empty house in East Redding caught fire late Thursday afternoon, and it was blamed on the next door neighbor. At around 5:20PM a dark plume of smoke was rising from the rear of a boarded-up house at 2787 Victor Avenue. The fire originated in the backyard and spread to a wood fence and then caught the corner of the house on fire. The cause was determined to be hot fireplace ashes that had been dumped by a resident next door. The value of the damage is estimated at $10,000.