Just hours after a tragic fire  left two residents with serious burns, Toronto firefighters rushed to yet another serious house blaze.

This one was at 25 Martin Rd. in the Bayview and Davisville area, and it quickly spread into a near-three alarm emergency.

It appears the flames may have started in a wooden deck in the front of the house, for a reason that firefighters know all too well - careless smoking.

"Apparently somebody had been smoking outside and they discarded it and it fell under the porch," relates Platoon Chief Bob Head. "By the time they had gone to try and put it out themselves, the fire had gotten so advanced that it required us coming here."

Winter garbage and leaves underneath the deck fed the flames and it roared to life.

Crews saw them dancing from one home to two others, and immediately turned their hoses on the residences next door.

They were finally able to bring it under control about an hour later, but by then the front part of the first house was almost gone.

Damage is said to be extensive, although it's too soon to say how much there is.

Fortunately, there was no one inside at the time the flames broke out and no one was hurt.

The outcome sparked an old warning from Head. "If you're going to smoke," he pleads, "please be careful." Even if you've already finished the last puff.