Marijuana cigarette ignited house fires

PULLMAN - A "joint" started a tree in Pullman on fire leading to two homes being destroyed and 12 students displaced on Aug. 8.

The fire destroyed a home on Maple Street and another on Howard Street.

"Pullman Fire Inspector Tony Nuttman said ... that the cause of the wind-swept fire that destroyed two College Hill homes and caused a half-acre wildfire was an accident caused by the embers from a marijuana cigarette used by two visitors from Colorado," said Glenn Johnson, public information officer.

The investigation included interviews and an examination of the fire scenes by Nuttman, Fire Marshal Chris Wehrung, and Darren Jones of Washington State University (WSU) Fire Services.

"The two visitors told Nuttman that they used the marijuana cigarette when they were standing near the couch located on an outside deck. The fire inspector determined that couch was the point of origin," said Johnson.

Strong winds ignited the embers in the couch. The fire spread rapidly to the wooden deck and the three-story house. Nuttman said the students told him that when they returned, they saw the fire, awakened the visitors in the house and attempted to put the fire out with a fire extinguisher.

"It was too late," said Johnson.

Both homes are a total loss and they were tagged as uninhabitable by the city.

WSU Student Housing and the American Red Cross are working with the dozen students who lost their homes. None of the students had renters' insurance.