LEWISTON – An apartment fire drove a family from their Pine Street home Friday.

Smoking materials in kitchen garbage were blamed for the blaze, which was confined to that room, Fire Inspector Peter Morrell said.

Jamie O’Brien, who lived in the second-floor apartment, said she was at her mother’s home when a friend called to say her apartment was on fire.

Victor Carey, who made the call, was driving his kids to school as he passed by the building. He told her: “Look, you’ve got to get to your place. It’s on fire.”

O’Brien said: “No, you’re joking.”

Firefighters found the kitchen in flames when they arrived at 7:49 a.m., Capt. Victor Gaudreau said.

O’Brien was standing on the sidewalk in the rain watching as firefighters surrounded the 125 Pine St. building on the corner of Horton Street. By 8:30 a.m., they were rolling up their hoses.

Her two kids were in school, she said. But she couldn’t find her 6-year-old cat, Wally.

O’Brien said she had left the apartment 15 minutes before she got the call. She said she and her kids have a place to stay.