Smoking materials cause large apartment fire

WESTFIELD, Mass. (AP) - Fire officials say a large apartment fire in western Massachusetts was caused by cigarette butts discarded into a dried out potted plant.

The fire at the Powdermill Village apartment complex in Westfield displaced 21 families on Sunday afternoon.

State fire officials say the fire originated on a back deck, and that the container for the potted plant was plastic. Westfield Fire Chief Mary Regan says the town has had a number of fires due to improper disposal of smoking materials.

Several departments including West Springfield, Holyoke and Southampton assisted in putting out the flames.