The cause of a two-alarm fire at a Redmond town house fourplex last week was accidental, sparked by a discarded cigarette, according to Redmond Deputy Fire Marshal Stan Noble.

He said the April 26 fire in the 15900 block of Northeast 41st Street was caused by a cigarette that had been thrown away in a plastic garbage can about 18 inches tall located on the deck outside one of the units. Noble said the resident said he had smoked the cigarette before going to work last Thursday, something he does every day.

At about 11:58 a.m. that morning, the Redmond Fire Department received a 911 report of smoke in the area and upon arrival firefighters found heavy smoke coming from and immediately requested a second alarm response. Fire personnel from the cities of Bellevue, Kirkland and Woodinville joined Redmond firefighters in extinguishing the fire, which was deemed under control at 12:36 p.m.

There were no injuries from the incident and residents from the town homes evacuated safely, but Noble said the damage to the structure is estimated to be about $300,000.

“The residents will not be able to live in the structure until repairs are completed,” he said, adding that this could take a few months.