Danvers Fire Shares Cautionary Tale On Cigarette Disposal

DANVERS, MA — The Danvers Fire Department is using a mulch fire that spread to a nearby building Sunday morning as a reminder to residents about the dangers of careless cigarette disposal.

Danvers fire said Sunday morning a passerby reported a mulch fire with smoke coming from the roof of a nearby building. They said the fire apparently began in a planter, which then spread to a nearby shrub and then got into the wood structure and the overhanging roof.

Fire crews said that while they were working to pull back the roof and extinguish the fire, they saw a woman dispose of a cigarette in a nearby planter. They then checked out the planter and it was filled with cigarette butts.

Those who smoke are reminded to make sure a cigarette is completely extinguished before disposing of it and only dispose of it in proper places where there not a chance it will cause a spark that leads to a fire.

And, in this case, significant damage to a structure.