photo by: Chris Conde/Journal-World

Lawrence Douglas County Fire Crews responding to a house fire in the 900 block of Pennsylvania Street on No. 1, 2023.

Improper use of incense was blamed for causing a house fire on Wednesday afternoon in East Lawrence, but fire crews contained the flames to a laundry room, and no injuries or major damage were reported.

Firefighters were dispatched to a house in the 900 block of Pennsylvania Street just after 1:30 p.m. on Wednesday to a report of a fire, said Fire Chief Rich Llewellyn in an email to the Journal-World.

“First arriving crews reported a working fire on the first floor and initiated an interior fire attack which contained the fire to a laundry room,” Llewellyn said.

Crews quickly extinguished the fire, and the house’s occupant and two pets were not injured. Llewellyn said that an estimate of the damage was not available but that the occupant of the house was able to remain in the home.

The resident was alerted to the fire by a smoke alarm that was sitting on a countertop or table, and firefighters worked to install the detector in a recommended location before leaving. Investigators determined that the fire was accidental, Llewellyn said.