‘Totally preventable’ cigarette butt fires take resources from other emergencies
Posted June 26, 2019 10:49 am.
Last Updated June 26, 2019 10:53 am.
This article is more than 5 years old.
VANCOUVER ISLAND (NEWS 1130) – They’re totally preventable, and take resources away from other emergencies. That’s what Langford Fire Rescue on Vancouver Island is saying after dealing with at least seven fires in the span of about a week caused by cigarette butts carelessly tossed on the ground.
Lance Caven, Assistant Chief of Fire Prevention, says one of the fires was right next to a gas station, starting in some bark mulch or other dry material.
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“Started to catch a large, low, cedar hedge on fire. And, that was a bit more of a significant fire – kind of burned maybe an eight-foot by eight-foot area of cedar bush.”
Caven adds in the past they have had to respond to fires that begin in a planter or garden bed and spread to buildings nearby.
“It can be frustrating for us as a fire department, having to continually go to these small nuisance fires. It does take resources away from other emergencies,” he says.
