JAY – Dropped ash from a cigarette is being blamed for a fire that damaged an apartment at 28 Jewell St. Friday night.

About 42 firefighters from Jay, Livermore and Livermore Falls responded to the scene while about eight from Wilton stood by at the North Jay Fire Station.

The apartment was occupied by James Gailloux and Shelly Jones. It is one of four apartments in the building owned by Wayne and Pat Knowlton of Livermore Falls, Jay Fire Rescue Deputy Chief Jim Shink said.

Jones was talking on the phone, sitting on the bed in a bedroom in a first-floor apartment when an ash fell down on the bed, Shink said.

She left the room and closed the door. When she came back about 10 minutes later, smoke was banking down to the floor and she saw flames on the bed, Shink said.

She grabbed a blanket and ran out of the apartment, he said.

When Shink arrived on the scene, he said, Jay and Livermore Falls police were evacuating the building.

Firefighters did an excellent job of putting the fire out quickly, he said, and contained it mostly to the bedroom with some heat and smoke damage to the rest of the apartment.

No one was injured, he said.

The American Red Cross was called and was putting up the couple in a motel for the evening, Shink said.

He estimated the damage at $10,000.