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This month, a fire sparked by a cigarette put out in a flowerpot on a triplex’s second-floor balcony left a dozen people homeless and caused $150,000 damage in Rosemont—La-Petite-Patrie.

It was a reminder that, though Montreal’s fire death rate is falling, vigilance is still important.

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The Montreal Gazette interviewed Daniel de Vries, a Montreal fire department division chief who oversees investigations, about what causes the most Montreal fires and why fewer people are dying in them.

What are the most common causes of fires in Montreal?

Cooking is the biggest cause, representing roughly 50 per cent of all our fires. The second is smoking — 10 to 15 per cent, depending on the year.

What are people cooking that’s so dangerous?

Fires are often related to oil-based frying, mostly at night — midnight, 2 a.m., 3 a.m. Sometimes, people are doing french fries and they have other things going on so they’re not keeping an eye on what they’re cooking. Or there are people who are new to Canada who are cooking using wood in their homes. We had two fires last year where people were burning wood in their sinks and cooking over it as a heat source. It’s something that they do in their countries and they think they can do it here but our buildings are not meant to be used like that. (Montreal fire department tip: If food in a pot or pan catches fire, cover it with its lid and turn off the stove. Don’t throw water, flour or anything else on it. Never move around with a pot that is on fire.)