Over the past 8 years, fires caused by cigarette butts has ranked as one of top three leading causes for fires in Bend. Annually an average of 36 cigarette caused fires resulting in over $40,000 of damage per fire. These fires range from small fires in bark dust to full house fires.
These fires are simple to prevent. Just by properly disposing of cigarette butts when you are done can prevent a fire in your landscaping, on your deck or in your home. Just by ensuring cigarette butts go into a non-combustible container when you are done will prevent most fires related to smoking.
Many times BFD responds to fires in landscaping along roadways and finds cigarette butts discarded by motorists and pedestrians that land in dry vegetation and ignite. Other times improperly discarded cigarettes off of decks and patios land in either vegetation or the dry wood decks and start fires.
All preventable by properly disposing of smoking materials:
– Provide a non-combustible container to put cigarette butts into when done – a metal bucket or ashtray work the best
– Put sand or water in the container to better extinguish the cigarette butts – ensure the water doesn’t evaporate all the way during the summer
– Remove old cigarettes on a regular basis. The buildup results in combustible materials being left in the container and those old cigarette butts can be ignited by the new ones added later
– Before disposing into the garbage, ensure all the cigarette butts are completely out
– Do not toss cigarette butts out of your car or as you walk – tossing burning materials from a vehicle is not only littering but is a Class B misdemeanor could result in you getting a ticket up to $500. (ORS 476.715)
Other information from the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA):
– Never smoke in bed.
– Never smoke where medical oxygen is used. Medical oxygen can cause materials to ignite more easily and make fires burn at a faster rate than normal
– Before going to bed, check under furniture cushions and around places where people smoke for cigarette butts that may have fallen out of sight.
– Keep cigarettes, lighters, matches, and other smoking materials up high out of the reach of children, in a locked cabinet
All of these tips can help reduce the risk of fires in our community.
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