Firefighters saved about eight pets from a structure fire that destroyed a home on Kings River Way in Evergreen on Thursday evening.

The blaze, according to Evergreen Fire Chief Craig Williams, started from smoldering smoking material that was discarded in a flowerpot on the deck and spread to the interior of the doublewide mobile home while its residents were away.

Evergreen firefighters received the call at 7:45 p.m. and arrived on scene five minutes later to find flames had spread to the attic and to an enclosed porch, but had not yet reached the lower interior level of the home.

With the help of Kalispell, South Kalispell and Whitefish Fire Departments and traffic control provided by the Flathead County Sheriff’s Office, firefighters managed to contain the blaze to the porch and attic and save all the pets trapped inside.

Williams estimated four dogs and four cats were rescued from the home, treated with oxygen and returned to their owners.

Williams said the fire was a difficult one to manage once the flames moved into the attic where insulation fueled the blaze, and the house suffered major smoke and water damage.

Though the home is no longer livable, Williams said the owners were able to salvage several items.

The residents, according to Williams, declined aid from the American Red Cross and have made plans to stay with friends or relatives.

Williams said this was the third structure fire his department has responded to this year that was started by smoking materials that were disposed of in a flowerpot.

Part of a local and national trend, Williams said the number of these incidents is on the rise as smokers assume they are putting their cigarettes out in a pot of soil that is actually filled with a flammable substance that can quickly result in an open flame.

Williams also said that, without the mutual aid of surrounding fire departments, his department and others would most likely not be able to handle the number and severity of calls they receive as fire season reaches its peak.

Mary Cloud Taylor can be reached at 758-4459 or mtaylor@dailyinterlake.com.