The homeowner at this Highland Avenue home in Butler Township was forced to evacuate through this window this morning when his house caught on fire.

BUTLER TWP — A 47-year-old man was uninjured early this morning after escaping out of a bedroom window when fire broke out at his house in the 4300 block of Highland Avenue.

Fire crews quickly extinguished the blaze about 4:30 a.m. at Robert Scipione’s single-story home. The house, which is insured, had about $75,000 in damage.

“There’s a lot of smoke damage throughout the house,” said Dave Bestwick, assistant chief of Butler Fire District 3.

A carelessly discarded ashtray with a still-burning cigarette is the suspected cause of the fire, according to township fire marshal Larry Christy.

“He said he had been smoking earlier and had emptied the ashtray in a trash bag in the kitchen,” Christy said. “He said he was in the front of the home and fell asleep. He awoke to popping sounds.”

Fire officials believe the noise was bottles breaking in the trash bag.

Authorities suspect the fire smoldered for some time before erupting in flames.

Thick smoke prevented Scipione from getting out the front door so he used the bedroom window.

“He climbed out onto the porch and called 911 on his cell phone,” Christy said.

Butler Township police Sgt. Nathan Teslik was first there and found Scipione standing outside.

“He was scared,” Teslik said of the homeowner, “and coughing. He didn’t say much but he said no one else was in the house.”

A Butler Ambulance Service crew arrived and tended to Scipione, who refused medical treatment.

Teslik’s primary attention shifted to the fire.

“Smoke was rolling out under the front porch of the whole house,” he said,

A three-man attack crew from Fire District 3 forced in the locked door and got inside. The fire was out within minutes, Bestwick said.

“They did a good job of holding it,” Teslik said.

Christy concurred: “A heckuva job.”

About 300 gallons of water were used to help confine the fire to the kitchen. Along with the smoke and heat damage, there was some water damage to the plywood floors.

But Scipione, who declined to comment, was able to return to his home.

Assisting Fire District 3 were firefighters from the Mercer Road and South Butler departments.