An early morning couch fire caused the evacuation of an apartment building in Hamilton's east end.

On Friday morning, just after 5 a.m., eight units from the Hamilton Fire Department responded to a fire in an apartment building near the corner of Melvin Avenue and Glassco Avenue.

Fire Information Officer Claudio Mostacci said fire crews responded and quickly put out a couch fire on the sixth floor of the building. The damage was minimal and the fire didn't spread to the apartment.

When the occupant of the apartment discovered the fire on the couch she tried to pull the piece of furniture onto the balcony. It ended up trapping her out there, Mostacci said.

When firefighters arrived they were able to quickly put the fire out. Mostacci said the fire was confined only to the couch, although a lot of smoke was pulled into the apartment. He estimates the fire caused around $1,000 in damage.

The occupant was taken to the hospital for treatment.

Mostacci said the fire was caused by "careless use of smokers' materials."

This is the second fire in two days caused by misuse of smokers' materials, he said, referring to the fire on King Street East on Thursday. A man died as a result of the King Street fire and a woman is still in hospital, recovering from serious injuries.

"We can't stress enough," he said. "Don't smoke indoors."

If you have to, make sure you dispose of your ashes properly, he said. It's not good enough to just put them inside a dry tin can. Make sure there is water in the can.

Every year, smoking is always one of the leading causes of fire in Hamilton, he said.

"It's preventable, and that's the most frustrating thing," Mostacci said.