A Thursday fire that caused $30,000 in damage to a four-unit apartment building in Butler was an accident caused by something left smoldering by garbage cans at the rear exterior.

A security camera at the city Public Safety Building captured video of the fire starting from something left smoldering by the trash cans at the rear of the building at 221 W. North St., said Chris Switala, chief of the Butler Bureau of Fire.

“We were able to review that footage,” Switala said. “There was nobody in the area. There was nothing suspicious.”

He said the bureau was able to look at video dating to the last time the garbage was collected.

The fire started at the trash cans located at the rear of the building around 3:20 p.m. and damaged the exterior from the basement to the attic.

The interior had minor to moderate smoke damage, but firefighters had to open some walls to make sure the fire was out. There also was water damage on the first floor.

The building is close to the Public Safety Building, where the fire station is located, and firefighters arrived at the scene less than three minutes after the alarm sounded. They had the fire under control in about 30 minutes.

At least two of the four tenants were home when the fire started, but escaped without injury. No injuries were reported.

The VA Butler Healthcare Fire Department and Butler Township Volunteer Fire District also responded to the fire.