SPRINGVALE — Firefighters were quickly able to knock down a fire on the exterior of the second story of a duplex at 39 Mill St. in Springvale on Friday.

“It is safe to say the fire started by the careless disposal of smoking materials,” said Sanford Fire Chief Steve Benotti at the scene.

No one was injured.

Firefighters were called to the duplex at about 11:15 a.m. and had the fire knocked down by about 11:30 a.m., said Capt. Dwight Emmons.

Benotti said the fire was confined to the exterior of the dwelling, where a patio door overlooks the roof of a first floor addition to the 1890s structure.

Sanford property records list the owner as Mark Broadard. His wife Cindy was outside the home on Friday morning and said the fire affected only their portion of the duplex.

Firefighters were able to leave the scene at 12:38 p.m. Friday.

Last summer, a blaze at 43 Payne St. in Springvale left a home severely damaged and displaced the family that lived there,  and in June 2018, a 53-year-old man died in a fire that destroyed his home, an attached garage and two sheds at 234 Deering Neighborhood Road in Springvale.

— Senior Staff Writer Tammy Wells can be contacted at 780-9016 or [email protected].