Campton fire blamed on cigarette

A devastating fire that destroyed the home of a Campton Hills family Sunday started after one of the owners tried to put out a cigarette in a garbage can, authorities said Tuesday.

The cigarette apparently ignited a piece of cardboard then quickly spread from an outdoor can to an attached garage to the two-story house at 3N647 Ridgeview Court.

The homeowner discovered the fire shortly after returning from smoking outdoors on the west side of the house, according to a police report.

He and his wife and children ages 1, 5 and 7, escaped without injury, but the house was left uninhabitable with an estimated $550,000 in damage to the structure and its contents.

Investigators have ruled the fire's cause "careless use of smoking materials."

Fire officials identified the homeowners as Matt and Julie DuJardin.

The American Red Cross Fox River Chapter on Sunday was collecting donations for the family and working to find temporary shelter.