Apartment fire in The Mill caused by cigarette in wastebasket

by Stephanie Saltzberg, staff writer

A cigarette caused a fire in apartment 19 J of The Mill last Thursday morning.

Adrienne Smith, a Blue Ridge Community College student, had been smoking in her bedroom and “crushed the cigarette out on the side of the trash can,” said Harrisonburg Fire Chief Larry Shifflett.

Smith’s three roommates were in the apartment when the fire began. It was unusual for juniors Jessica Sharpe and Eileen Wilson to be in the apartment at this time of day.

“I have class and I usually take [Wilson] with me,” Sharpe said. “Our other roommate was sleeping,” Sharpe said.

Sharpe got out of the shower and noticed the smell of something burning. At first, she said, she thought it might be coming from the kitchen. Sharpe found Wilson and they soon realized that the smell was coming from behind their roommate’s door. “I didn’t see the fire, but heard the crackling of flames behind the door,” Sharpe said.

“The whole apartment was filled with a filmy smoke,” Wilson said.

Wilson made the call to 911 at 10:20 a.m., Shifflett said. Four fire engines and a ladder truck were on the scene within three minutes.

The fire was out within 10 minutes, but firefighters remained on the scene for about an hour and a half, Shifflett said. Smith returned to the apartment while the fire was being put out and said that she had been smoking in her room, said Shifflett. Smith was not available for comment.

No injuries were reported and no serious damage was done to any neighboring apartments. “If anything, there was slight water damage to the apartment below,” Shifflett said. Damages are still being assessed, but are currently estimated to be between $5,000 and $10,000.

The residents have not moved out, however Sharpe is without electricity. There are currently no plans to move, Wilson and Sharpe said.