Watch your butt! Fire crews repeat warning of tossing lit cigarettes

VANCOUVER (NEWS 1130) – Sweltering heat isn’t letting up across much of southwestern BC.

Environment Canada has posted heat warnings. It says Metro Vancouver should see temperatures in the low 30s, while many other regions will see daytime highs of at least 35 degrees.

With the beautiful weather comes an increased risk of fires.

The fire danger rating around parts of the Lower Mainland is between moderate to high. That’s prompting a warning from fire crews about people throwing lit cigarette butts out their car window. It’s something that happens every year and it’s a problem that continues to tie up resources.

Vancouver Fire has responded to at least 50 grass fires sparked by cigarettes so far this year. Captain Jonathan Gormick says the damage can be extensive, like what firefighters recently had to deal with near the Knight Street Bridge.

“People don’t immediately realize the consequences of their actions. In fact, last Thursday our crews attended a working fire where an errantly thrown cigarette butt was the probable cause of a grass fire that impinged upon an apartment building and caused significant damage to that building.”

He adds most small fires like this start in planters — due to people putting their cigarettes out in a flower pot. Another spot is on the small patch of grass on the median on major roads, like in the example above.

“Part of the issue is it can take a few minutes for dry vegetation to get going,” explains Gormick. “So, more often that not, someone flicks their cigarette butt out the window, they drive away, and it sits in the grass for five, 10, maybe 15 minutes smoldering before it really turns into a noticeable fire.”

When asked if people are, frankly, just stupid, Gormick admitted he doesn’t know why this messaging has to be pushed out every year.

“I’m not really sure what the cause of people inappropriately discarding smoking material is. There’s really no reason for it. There are cigarette butt disposable containers all around the city, either your car has an ashtray or you can have a makeshift ashtray. I’m not really sure why people think it’s safe or appropriate to throw them out of the window.”

Gormick points out we don’t get lightning storms like other parts in the province that can often be blamed for causing fires. So, cigarettes are often the cause.

He adds if you’re caught, the fine is $500. “That’s to reflect the degree of risk because it’s not the same as littering. This is putting the lives of the public and the lives of first responders at risk.”

If the conditions stick around for a while, he explains, the city will look at implementing a barbecue ban in parks and on beaches, where you can’t smoke either.