Cigarettes spark wildfire concerns

Kyle Simchuk by Kyle Simchuk

Dry brush in our area can help turn the smallest spark into a large fire, but despite warnings of high fire dangers, some drivers are still adding to the danger by tossing lit cigarettes out their car windows.

The careless act has other drivers in Spokane fuming. Some have posted photos to local Facebook groups to publicly shame careless smokers.

“We’ve already had a number of fires in Spokane county and throughout the region that are attributed to very, very small starts that may have come from discarded smoking materials…” said Spokane Fire Chief Brian Schaeffer.

Already this year, wildfire crews across the state have responded to 921 fires on more than 128,000 ares – and we aren’t out of the woods just yet.

“We are really concerned,” Schaeffer said. “We have enough to protect us, but heaven forbid we have a bad day.”

Washington drivers can be fined $1,025 for throwing a lit cigarette from a car. If your smoke causes a wildfire, you could be liable for the firefighting costs.

Schaeffer said, “We’re all human, but one really good aspect of human beings is that we can learn and we can make conscious decisions. So what we are asking the public to do right now is take in our environment, the risks that are out there, and be proactive.”

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