A fire that destroyed a house Monday afternoon on Swan Hill Road in Oakland probably was caused by someone throwing out smoking materials, according to investigators from the Office of the State Fire Marshal.
Investigators were on the scene Tuesday morning at 15 Swan Hill Road to examine the wreckage of the home. The fire, reported around 2:10 p.m. Monday, gutted the two-story white farmhouse.
Sgt. Kenneth Grimes, of the fire marshal’s office, said Tuesday afternoon that investigators concluded that the fire started in a trash can in the kitchen and was “most probably caused by careless disposal of smoking materials.”
There were no people in the house when the fire started and no injuries were reported, but three family dogs died in the blaze.
A family cat survived the fire, Grimes said.
Homeowner Carol Manson on Monday said she had been at the house less than a half hour before she heard about the fire.
No charges are expected and Grimes said the case was effectively closed.
“There are a couple more telephone interviews we want to do, but aside from that, we’re pretty much done with it,” he said.
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