Recent fires prompt reminder about discarding cigarette butts in Georgina

Carelessly discarded cigarette butts can cause fires and millions of dollars in damages

Yorkregion.com
July 17, 2018
Heidi Riedner

Georgina fire department responded to a number of smoking-related fires last week, prompting an important reminder to residents this week regarding the proper disposal of cigarette butts.

Carelessly discarded cigarette butts can cause fires and millions of dollars in damages.

Case in point is the $2.3 million in damages as a result of a fire at a Leamington farm operation on July 14 attributed to a discarded cigarette.

Georgina Fire Chief Ron Jenkins says preventing a fire caused by used smoking material is easy to do and involves a few simple steps.

• Do not extinguish cigarette butts in plant pots. The soil in these pots can contain a mixture of peat moss, shredded wood and bark -- all of which can easily ignite or even smoulder undetected for hours;

• Use deep and sturdy ashtrays;

• Empty ashes into a metal container -- not the garbage can -- and put it outside; and

• Encourage smokers to smoke outside.

"It is everyone’s responsibility to prevent fires from happening in the home," Jenkins said.

The reminder comes on the heels of a total fire ban being issued in Georgina last week due to extremely dry conditions.

Fire chiefs from the municipalities of Georgina, East Gwillimbury, Newmarket, Aurora and Whitchurch-Stouffville all nixed outdoor and open-air burning, including recreational fires, effective July 11 until further notice.

For more information, visit georgina.ca or ontario.ca/firemarshal.