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Grass fire blackens 20 acres; cause may have been cigarette, official says 

A grass fire Friday afternoon in Howard -- possibly caused by a discarded cigarette -- underscores the need for residents to use care during tinderbox-dry conditions, said Howard Fire Chief John O'Connor.

The 20-acre hillside fire along Brown County C near Pinecrest Road threatened one nearby home and was contained in about 20 minutes. The fire, which was near the edge of the road, was Howard's first grass fire of the year.

"People should never discard lit cigarettes any time, but especially now with fire danger high," O'Connor said.

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• Two more tobacco lawsuits filed in Los Angeles 

Two more lawsuits against tobacco companies have been filed in Los Angeles on the heels of last week's record $28 billion damages award to a 64-year-old lung cancer sufferer who blamed Philip Morris for failing to warn her against the risks of smoking.

News of the two new suits -- one a wrongful death complaint -- came as brokerage Merrill Lynch on Tuesday cut its rating on two cigarette makers to "neutral" from "buy" because of litigation trends in California. . .

The wrongful death suit was brought by Cynthia Green and her four children on behalf of her late husband Mack Green who died of lung cancer in May 2000. . .

The second Los Angeles suit was filed by former Los Angeles factory worker Anna Bonner who began smoking at age 16. Bonner, who is now 61, said she smoked about two packets a day, mostly Marlboro, and now has lung and brain cancer. Bonner is representing herself.

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