A fire that damaged the side of a house on Friday might have been started by cigarette ashes.

According to Austin Police Chief Brian Krueger, officers responded to a call at 4:12 p.m. on Friday to a residence in the 600 block of 12th Street Southwest. The resident said leaves behind the house caught fire, which then caused the side of the house to catch fire.

An off-duty firefighter was on the scene and said the outside spigot was off, so a fire extinguisher from one of the squad cars was used to put out the fire.

The Austin Fire Department ventilated the house.

The resident said she had been smoking and ashes from the cigarette may have been responsible for starting catching the leaves fire.

The house suffered damage to the siding and a vapor barrier. A garden hose and reel were also destroyed. There is no estimate to the cost of the damage at this time.