A fire that damaged a Bismarck home started in a garbage can where ashes from a fire pit had been dumped.

Bismarck Fire Assistant Chief Kermit Schaefer said the ashes started the fire in the can, which then burned up the side of the house, through a window and into the home at 4415 Turnbow Lane.

Bismarck Police Sgt. Mark Buschena said the fire was reported by a 17-year-old Democratic Party employee canvassing the neighborhood. The boy smelled smoke, spotted flames coming from the house and called 911, Buschena said.

The fire "would have been difficult to spot from the road," Schaefer said.

The boy knocked on the door but no one answered. It was later determined that the resident of the home, Waldon Seibel, 25, was not home at the time of the fire, Buschena said.

Schaefer said total losses from the fire are estimated at $45,000. He said firefighters were able to extinguish the fire quickly, which saved most of the structure and belongings inside the home.

Schaefer recommends people set ashes from fire pits, barbecues or other similar items aside for a few days before throwing them out or douse them with water.

Even if the ashes appear out, they could reignite once they are stirred around and come in contact with oxygen, he said.

(Reach reporter Jenny Michael at 250-8225 or jenny.michael@bismarcktribune.com.)