PONDERAY - A carelessly discarded cigarette has been pinpointed as the cause of a fire that damaged the Fiesta Bonita Mexican restaurant on Wednesday.

Northside Fire District firefighter Danny Knott said the cigarette was tossed onto the ground and into a gap between the concrete and stucco facade at the restaurant's entrance.

"It got under there and started smoldering," Knott said. "It burned all the way up to the roof."

The fire started in the vicinity of a receptacle for cigarette butts, suggesting whoever tossed the butt missed the mark.

There were no injuries and the fire was confined to the exterior of the foyer.

Smoke damage was minimal.

Knott estimated the damage to be in the range of $10,000.

Firefighters from Northside and Selkirk Fire Rescue and EMS responded to the fire.

"The guys made a heck of a stop," said Knott.

Selkirk Fire was misidentified in a prior story because of a reporting error.