Cary house fire caused by school project

A fire caused by a school project gone awry Monday left a Cary home uninhabitable with an estimated $75,000 in damage.

Firefighters were called to a fire at 1016 South Fox Trails Drive at 8:44 p.m., according to a Cary Fire Protection District news release.

Arriving on the scene, firefighters found a fire in the home's upstairs bedroom. The fire had also spread into a hallway and caused smoke and heat damage to two other upstairs bedrooms and a bathroom.

Two teenagers and a cat were in the house, but were able to evacuate safely, officials said.

Firefighters determined the fire was started accidentally by one of the teenagers working on a school project. The teenager was using a barbecue grill lighter attempting to antique paper by burning the edges, officials said. The paper caught on fire, was dropped into a trashcan, which quickly ignited paper and other trash allowing the fire to grow and spread, officials said.

Cary Fire Department officials noted the fire was the third house fire in the village in three weeks.