By Khalida Sarwari
A one-alarm apartment fire that caused an estimated $150,000 to a Hayward apartment this morning was ignited by an improperly extinguished cigarette match, a deputy chief said.
The blaze was reported just after 10 a.m. at 708 Marin Ave. and was controlled a short time later, deputy Chief Mark Bennett said.
One unit of the single-story building was fully involved, Bennett said. Of the five neighboring units, one adjacent unit sustained minor smoke damage.
The fire initially appeared suspicious, Bennett said. Inspectors later determined a tenant in the unit had discarded a cigarette match in a paper bag after lighting a cigarette, Bennett said. The match was not properly extinguished and burned the contents of the bag and spread throughout the unit.
It caused an estimated $150,000 in damage and displaced all four tenants of the unit. One of the tenants, a male adult, was arrested on an outstanding warrant, Bennett said. His arrest was not connected to the fire.
No one was injured in the fire, Bennett said.