Ashes Left on Porch Blamed for Igniting $20,000 Blaze at Darlington House

A discarded and forgotten bucket of ashes left on the front porch of a Darlington home are being blamed for sparking the fire, which ended up doing more than $20,000 worth of damage to the house and its contents.

At 10:15 a.m. Wednesday, firefighters were called to the 1500 block of Deerfield Road in Darlington, where a one-story, single-family rancher was burning.

The fire, which was discovered by a neighbor, had evidently been ignited after an occupant of the home discarded wood stove ashes in a plastic bucket and sat it on the porch. He then left the house and forgot to remove the ashes from the porch, according to the Maryland State Fire Marshal’s Office.

Thirty-five firefighters from Darlington, Whiteford and Level were able to bring the fire under control within 20 minutes.
The fire caused an estimated $20,000 to the structure and $300 to its contents.
A smoke alarm was present and working.