Massive Calgary condominium blaze caused by potting soil catching fire

CBC News

Smokers stubbing their cigarette butts into outdoor planters are causing a spike in fires, according to Co-operators insurance company.
A cigarette left smouldering in flowerpot caused this March 18 fire in Calgary, which left 300 people homeless. (CBC) 

In one recent case, about 300 people were left homeless when a cigarette was left in a planter on the fourth floor of a Calgary condominium.
"It's combustible," Calgary firefighter Brian McAsey said of the soil in planters. "It's not like the soil or dirt on the ground. It's flammable, so anytime you put a cigarette in there or incendiary device you have the possibility that it could heat up and then start a fire."
No one was killed in the March 18 blaze, but one firefighter was hospitalized with minor injuries and five police officers were treated for smoke inhalation at the scene.
An investigation found a discarded cigarette had been smouldering in a flowerpot and started the fire, which quickly spread to the attic of the building.
"Unfortunately these types of fires can smoulder for quite a long time before they start up and you can actually see flame," McAsey told CBC News.
McAsey, who serves as a spokesman for the Calgary Fire Department, said he's attended about two dozen fires that began in potting soil over the 10 years he's been fighting fires.
Potting soil contains substances which are flammable such as shredded wood, peat moss and fertilizers, which act as accelerants. (iStock) 

The fires happen because potting soil is composed of organic substances that are flammable, such as shredded wood, bark, peat moss, Styrofoam and vermiculite.
On top of that, fertilizers in the soil can act as oxidizers that can accelerate flames.
"People should remember to be prudent when disposing of their cigarettes," said Glen Oxford, the manager of claims at Co-operators.
"The reality is that homes have burned to the ground because of careless cigarette disposal."
In a media release, Co-operators states that smoking bylaw changes have pushed more smokers onto the streets, and when ashtrays are lacking they use planters instead.
The insurance company recommends making more ashtrays readily available to outdoor smokers as a preventive measure.
Another solution it recommends is keeping outdoor plants well watered.

Read more: http://www.cbc.ca/canada/calgary/story/2010/07/21/con-planter-fires.html#ixzz0uOp9QsE2

 

I happen to be allergic to tobacco and find smoking a disgusting habit in the first place. I agree with smoking bans but the aggregation of smokers huddled at the entrances to public buildings forces one to run the gauntlet of a cloud of smoke when entering. Too many smokers seem to treat the world as their ashtray not acknowledging that their butts are toxic waste. We should all be aware by now of the dangers of smoking in bed and now have a new hazard as regards butting out. How many forest fires are caused by people who open their car windows and toss their butts? To me there are only two kinds of smokers--those who have quit and those who want to. To help them along we need to work harder to make smoking socially unacceptable to the point that smoking has a pariah status.  I realize that the attempt at Temperance shows that making it illegal would be doomed to failure but the health costs alone associated with smoking are astronomical. The fact that smoking is not illegal should not be allowed to let Tobacco Companies argue that their lobby is justified. Smoking is an addiction that is incredibly difficult to break, we need to work harder to make smoking so uncool that young people will not be drawn into this filthy habit. Too many are still taking it up at at time when they can least afford the expense and its deleterious effects on their health will be most strongly felt. Most worrying is the rising number of young women now smoking.