A man was hospitalised after an accidental house fire was started by a cigarette on Belle Avenue, Wangaratta last Thursday night. A Fire Rescue Victoria spokesperson said at 9:45pm, firefighters arrived at Belle Avenue to find a fire in a weatherboard house. FRV and CFA crews extinguished the blaze and the scene was under control at 10:06pm. Power and gas companies were also on scene. Detective Senior Constable James Howarth of Wangaratta Criminal Investigation Unit said the fire was accidentally started by a cigarette which had not been discarded before the home owner went to sleep. The man was hospitalised with carbon monoxide poisoning following the incident and was recovering.
