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Arby's Fire Blamed On Tossed Cigarette 

A cigarette tossed into driedout mulch started a fire Wednesday morning that heavily damaged Arby's restaurant on Fifth Street Highway in Muhlenberg Township

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Van Explodes As Driver Lights Cigarette  

A van exploded while driving down a South Florida street Thursday, and it was all caught on tape.

It started as a typical commute to work for the man driving the van, which police said was filled with gas tanks and welding equipment.

According to police, the man lit a cigarette, which ignited fumes from the gas tanks, causing the van to blow apart on the street.

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Investigators: Discarded Cigarette Sparks Fire 

A discarded cigarette is believed to have sparked a fire in an apartment on the 200 block of Pershing Avenue in York Thursday afternoon, firefighters said.

Hundreds of discarded cigarette butts were found inside the apartment where the fire started, investigators said.

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Lit cigarette ignites fume-filled van; driver lives 

Melvin Gonzalez, a welder, was motoring through Hialeah early Thursday morning in a van filled with with gasoline, acetylene, compressed oxygen and other tools of his trade.

He lit a cigarette. The van exploded.

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Duluth Hillside Fire Caused By Careless Smoking  

A cigarette is to blame for a fire at a Duluth Hillside residence early Friday morning.

Duluth fire crews were dispatched to 726 N. 5th Ave. E. on a report of a couch on fire in the building's basement. . . .

A 22 year old male guest of the renters said he fell asleep on the couch while smoking a cigarette.

The $130,000 structure suffered an estimated $5,000 dollars in damage, including melted wiring in the basement ceiling.

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Smoking Ruled As Cause Of Crystal Fire 

A Minnesota family that was trying to cool off on a hot night lost their home Monday evening.

According to the West Metro Fire-Rescue District, improper disposal of smoking material started a fire at a home on the 3400 block of Louisiana Avenue in Crystal.

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Cigarette sparks brush fire 

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Discarded cigarette caused apartment blaze 

A fire that displaced five people from an apartment complex in Pine Street, Suffolk Monday was caused by a discarded cigarette.

"The Fire Marshall's Office of Suffolk Fire and Rescue has determined that the fire was caused by a discarded cigarette and was accidental," said Suffolk spokeswoman Debbie George.

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Brasstown blaze second from cigarette in days 

A 10-acre forest fire put three structures in danger Thursday afternoon, June 26. The fire was the second local cigarette fire in a week, Brasstown volunteer fire department chief J.D. Robinson said.

The culprit cigarette was discarded from a car traveling along Old Hwy. 64 around 2 p.m.

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• Fires prompt cigarette safety warning  

Two recent fires, both caused by cigarettes left burning in planters, are ringing a note of alarm throughout the community and prompting local fire officials to want to get the word out about fire safety essentials.

The late night Castle Ridge fire, which destroyed an entire apartment building and left 17 local employees homeless, could have been less devastating had the project been built under more modern building codes, but it also could have been worse in terms of life safety . . .

Cigarette smoking is actually the primary cause of death in fires (but not the primary cause of fires), said Aspen Fire Marshall Ed VanWalraven, because fires started by cigarettes have a tendency to flare up hours after they’re actually started. This often occurs at night when people are sleeping, if, for example, an ashtray falls on to a sofa.

Cigarette smoking is now banned at Castle Ridge, and the Centennial condominium owners association is reportedly considering the same ban.

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• Roadshow: Report butt-flingers to CHP  

Cigar or cigarette may have caused Yorba Linda fire 

YOBRA LINDA - White smoke billowed out of a two-car garage of a Yorba Linda home at the 6000 block of Oak Meadow Lane after a fire broke out this morning. . . .

The cause of the fire is still unknown, but Division Chief Mike Moore from the OCFA, who was also on scene, said a preliminary investigation showed a discarded cigar or cigarette to be the cause of the fire.

Homeowners Jim and Diana Allicotti watched from across the street on a neighbor's lawn as firefighters from four engine companies tore down the remains of a destroyed roof and doused the rest of the house in water.

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• Fire-Safe Cigarette Law To Be Implemented July 1  

The Cigarette Fire Safety Performance Standard and Firefighters Safety Protection Act requires the sale of fire standard compliant (FSC) cigarettes in Maryland, starting July 1. Maryland was the 11th State to pass such legislation in 2007 and Governor O’Malley signed this bill into effect on May 17, 2007. These new cigarettes are considered safer because of an ability in most instances to self extinguish, reducing the chance of fire.

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Fatal Labrador house fire ruled accidental 

Police in central Labrador have ruled out foul play in a fire that gutted the inside of a two-storey townhouse, killing a mother, her young daughter and three others.

Investigators released a statement Monday saying the blaze began at the bottom floor of the house as nine people slept. It was likely ignited by "smoking material," possibly a cigarette.

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Man Holding Cigarette 'Zapped' By Lightning  

A man watching TV and listening to music inside an Orange County apartment was struck by lightning while holding a cigarette out of a window.

Adam Rice was struck on the hand Wednesday afternoon at the Whisper Lake apartments, located on state Road 436 south of University Boulevard.

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