OTTAWA — A rash of fires sparked by carelessly discarded cigarettes has Ottawa Fire issuing a warning.

The most recent incidents include a three-alarm fire on Thursday in Stittsville, and a close call Friday afternoon in Orleans.

A neighbour on Salzburg Drive, near Innes and Trim, saw a planter had caught fire and extinguished it before the flames could spread.

Fire officials are urging smokers to be more careful when they finish their cigarettes.

“We want to remind folks not to use planters or pots of any kind,” said Marc Messier, Ottawa Fire. “These containers…usually carry peat moss or wood chips, which can burn very easily.”

Messier suggests using deep, sturdy ash trays and dousing the cigarette butts in water or sand to ensure they are completely extinguished.