GUILDERLAND — Police coaxed a resident out of a smoked-filled home after he refused to leave during a fire at 6116 Johnston Rd.

The bedroom fire started from a burning cigarette and resulted in two residents being treated for smoke inhalation at local hospitals, according to the Westmere Fire Department. There were other residents living in the home, but they quickly left the house and were unharmed.

The fire started around 8:30 a.m. on Sunday morning.
"The fire originated in the bedroom," said Westmere Fire Chief William Swartz. "Two residents were sent to the hospital for smoke inhalation.
"It started from the improper disposal of a cigarette," Swartz told The Enterprise yesterday.

There was minimal damage to the home, with some smoke and water damage; the fire damage was contained in the bedroom, according to the fire chief.
"One of them refused to come out of the house," said Swartz. "There was a lot of smoke coming out of the house and the police finally convinced him to come out. The fire was put out by the residents before we arrived there."

Both the Guilderland and State Police responded to the Johnston Road fire, and the McKownville Fire Department provided mutual aid for the Westmere department while it covered the call.

The Fort Hunter Fire Department provided FAST support for Westmere. FAST is an acronym that means Firefighters Assist and Search Team, according to Swartz, and it is a special team consisting of two or more firefighters dedicated solely to the search and rescue of other firefights in distress.

If there is a multiple-alarm fire, multiple FAST teams are deployed.