BANGOR, Maine — For the second time this week, improperly disposed of cigarette butts are to blame for a fire in the city.
The first fire occurred outside an apartment on Fourth Street on Monday night and forced nearly a dozen tenants who were home at the time to evacuate temporarily, fire officials said.
The second fire, reported at 2:45 a.m. Wednesday, started on a third-floor deck of an apartment at 84-88 Lincoln St., Assistant Fire Chief Darrell Cyr said Wednesday morning.
“The origin of the fire was a rear deck and the cause was improperly disposed of smoking materials,” he said. “There were seven tenants in the building.”
One tenant, who has a puppy, is credited with alerting the other residents about the fire.
“Apparently, one person got up to let their puppy outside and when they saw the fire they woke up their roommate and they woke up the rest of the tenants,” Cyr said.
As the roommates knocked on doors of their neighbors, the building’s fire alarms went off, the assistant fire chief said.
The fire damaged the outside of the building and one of the apartments, Cyr said.
“One apartment is not habitable because of the fire,” he said. “Everybody else was able to get back in, as I understand.”
Monday’s fire at 23-25 Fourth St. was caused when someone dumped a pile of cigarette butts, some of which were still hot, at the back of the building. It damaged a rear wall and displaced tenants from two of the building’s eight apartments, Assistant Fire Chief Tom Higgins said at the time.
People who smoke should take extra precautions with their hot cigarette butts, especially with the region’s dry conditions, Cyr said.
“The message is to properly dispose of smoking materials,” the assistant chief said. Consider “not just flicking them outside but placing them in a noncombustible container of some kind.”
“A cigarette thrown out in the grass can get a grass fire going,” Cyr added.
Do people not realize that there’s a tiny (but raging) fire at the other end of their cancer stick?
Smoking kills, and it might not be just you.
Please be careful!
So glad all got out safely.
I guess its time to make cigarette but smokers illegal
It’s not difficult to put a can or jar with sand or water in it, to put butts in. Water in a glass jar would be preferable, but sand in an aluminum can would work too. Not only does it increase safety, but it keeps the ground from being littered too!
I know, the SAFEST thing would be not smoking at all, but people do, so they must think of safety after the smoke is gone.
maybe they should be allowed to smoke inside with a real ashtray
If they want to bust their behind, and buy a home, then they can smoke where ever they want, supposing they were smoking outside because it was stated by the landlord that they couldn’t smoke inside.
Smoking indoors causes a dwelling to stink, discolors the walls, and causes health problems for EVERYONE living in the home. It is up to the landlord to remove the stench and paint the walls after a tenant leaves. Even if the security deposit covers the cost, it still takes the landlord’s time to either do the job themselves, or hire someone to do it. That doesn’t include the higher insurance premiums a landlord pays if they allow smoking indoors. My mother is a smoker, and was told by her current landlord that the biggest reason he doesn’t allow smoking indoors, is because he gets a reduction in his premiums, if he doesn’t.
All of this is assuming of course, that these people weren’t smoking outside for a different reason than they just weren’t ‘allowed’. There could be an asthmatic living in the home, so they smoke outside to ease the breathing of that individual. They could be guests of the person living in the home, and that person is a non-smoker. They could have children in the home, and not want to subject them to the second hand smoke. There are many reasons that people who choose to smoke, do so outdoors.
It is up to the smoker to be responsible, and dispose of the butts properly.
Also, there is no law saying that a real ashtray can’t be used outside…
An elderly neighbor of mine smokes constantly. The outside of his door is outlined with a shade of brown and yellow from the nicotine residue. Not only can I smell his cigar smoke, I have to put up with his hacking and gurgling.
Revolting.
I take it you don’t smoke? I find people who cook food inside
houses reek of dead burnt flesh as well as people who drink alcohol inside,
phew. Chemical cleaners and air freshener burn out a sinus and lungs yikes
I guess it’s a personal choice what sort of stench a person in their living space
You’re right, I don’t smoke. However, I don’t think your ‘arguments’ are valid. Yes, cooking can smell, as does alcohol to those who don’t care for it. The smells left behind by those two items though, doesn’t continue to kill everyone who smells it. As long as cigarette smoke can be smelled, it contains the proven cancer causing agents that kill are still in the air, putting every person and animal in that home at risk. I personally would rather smell some bad cooking and know that I’m not slowly dying, than the smoke of someone else’s cancer causing cigarette.
And, let’s face it-both of these fires occurred in apartments. That means, unless it happened to be an owner occupied apartment in the building, then there are renters living there. The person who owns the building sets the rules, and if those who live there don’t like it, they can move somewhere else.
Wasn’t arguing for or against, but before you
decide cooking smells aren’t causing health issues
read the labels on food, never cook foods using
plastic and rubber. Don’t store food in them either
they are 100% chemicals. now look at what food
comes in, mostly wrapped in chemicals
It’s more than ignorance on some people’s part. Some of them are plain spiteful and reckless about the risks they take with others’ lives.
They need to put directions on cigarette packages, such as:
Open cigarette pack, remove 1 (one) cigarette, insert filter end into mouth and secure with lips. Ignite tobacco end of cigarette with approved ignition device (match, lighter, your last cigarette) while inhaling. Inhale smoke from cigarette until it has burned down to within 1/8 inch of filter or your lips begin to burn, whichever occurs first. EXTINGUISH cigarette completely and confirm that it is out by touching previously burning end to tongue. Discard into fireproof container or partially filled Natty Lite beer can.
I doubt seriously if these TWO fires were both caused by cigarette butts. Media produced propaganda aimed at outlawing public cigarette smoking is more believable.
As I have noticed. All comments on this matter (excluding this and one other) are from those who oppose tobacco use.
Let’s not forget that Tobacco is IN FACT a plant used in Nation wide religious ceremonies by Native Americans. How about if we concentrate more on the banning of incense from churches between the two coast lines?
All fires are investigated. Are you suggesting a massive conspiracy by firefighters? You do realize that smoking involves fire, don’t you? Just take a look at the sparks flying next time some idiot tosses a cigarette out a car window on the interstate.
Alcohol is the leading cause of cancer, now. I have said
for sometime now so is soda. A week or so ago the Goverment
told Pepsi and Coke the had to put warning labels on the cans
and bottles saying it can cause cancer. They have instead are changing
the recipe to some other chemical.
so is alcohol or soda the leading cause? If you’re going to try and state facts, do some research.
Well apparently you know even less, cause all
you did was point out nothing.
How can all you be so quickly to judge people that just lost there home/ belongings? you have no idea what happened. The only thing All of us people know is what this headline says. Give it a break.
How are the 90 plus firemen for the city able to keep up with such a rapid work load. They must be worn out. Two fires in a year and a half. Good way to spend the taxes. Oops sorry I forgot everyone loves firemen.
Troll often?
0/10
what?
Don’t try to extinguish your butts in flowerpots either. Most of the growing media is peat moss which burns rather well when it is dry. This has been a common cause of fires as well.
I kind of got lost reading these messages, how did it get to cancer and what is there that hasn’t been blamed for causing cancer? I hate the smell of cigarettes but people have a right to smoke if they want to as long as they don’t bother others and the issue here is safely disposing of cigarette butts and as Jemileesmom said put them is a safe container with water or sand. I want you to enjoy your cigarettes as much as I enjoy my fresh air.
It is a shame that there are fires started by such a senseless thing as improper disposal of cigarettes.