Investigation finds cigarette was behind destructive blaze

The owner of the Hawthorne Way home destroyed by a fire last month said her insurance company’s investigation into the blaze concluded that a cigarette was the cause of the fire.

Jen Follack said the company recently told her they had determined that a cigarette burning at the rear of the home had sparked the blaze, which displaced a family of six who were renting the house.

Fire chief Lorne Thompson of the Olds Fire Department said, however, that an investigation conducted by the department and a provincial inspector was not able to determine a cause for the fire.

Dusty Ackerman, his wife and three children and his mother-in-law barely escaped the blaze that broke out just after 11 p.m. on May 8 at the home they were renting at 52 Hawthorne Way.

No one suffered any major injuries but Ackerman's mother-in-law was taken to hospital for smoke inhalation, was treated and then released.

The blaze also damaged two neighbouring homes.

The Town of Olds was under a fire ban at the time of the blaze due to warm and dry conditions in the area.

The home is set to be torn down, Follack said, and construction on a new bi-level home on the property could begin next month.

She added insurance would cover the cost of the rebuild.

Deputy chief Brian Powell of the Olds Fire Department told the Olds Albertan the day after the fire that the blaze started on or near a deck at the rear of the home.

He had estimated the damage to the home at about $400,000.

Ackerman, who did not have any insurance, said his family moved into a new rental home in mid-May that Follack helped the family find.

He was not available for comment on the findings of the insurance company’s investigation.

The community also stepped up to assist Ackerman’s family with financial and material support and The Bowl bowling alley held a fundraiser on May 16 that brought in roughly $1,000 for the family.

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