Alert Passersby Prevent Trash Can Fire at UW Hospital

Some discarded smoking materials nearly started a trash can fire in the UW Hospital parking ramp Thursday.
 
A passerby smelled the odor of something burning and pulled the fire alarm in the parking ramp. Engine 9 was sent over to check on the activated alarm.
 
When the crew arrived, they met a witness who said there was a smoldering paper bag inside a trash bin outside the stairwell. By then, a second passerby used a water bottle to extinguish the smoldering bag.
 
Besides a hole burned through the paper bag, there was no damage to property thanks to the attentive passersby and their quick actions.