Ellsworth firefighters responded to a blaze at a home on Meadow View Lane on Wednesday morning. Ellsworth Fire Chief Scott Guillerault, at left, documented the damage afterwards. Credit: Bill Trotter / BDN

A fire at an apartment complex in Ellsworth on Wednesday morning was caused by smoking, the state fire marshal’s office said in a news release.

Firefighters were called to Meadow View Apartments at just before 8:30 a.m. where they were able to quickly extinguish the blaze, according to the fire marshal’s office.

One man, who has not been identified, was brought to Northern Light Hospital in Ellsworth with life-threatening burns and later transferred to Maine Medical Center in Portland.

Investigators from the fire marshal’s office determined the fire was caused by “careless disposal of smoking material.”

Four other people were displaced because of the fire, which caused significant damage to the room where it originated and the roof. The fire marshal’s office said the building is salvageable.

Ethan Andrews is the night editor. He was formerly the managing editor at The Free Press and worked as a reporter for The Republican Journal and Pen Bay Pilot.