Tobacco Articles: category fires

Exploding Van on Tape

Fri, 04 Jul 2008 04:00:00 GMT

One second, a man is lighting up his cigarette while driving in Hialeah, Florida. The next, his van explodes. And it's all caught on video. The flash-fire and flying debris wreaked havoc through the day. A home video taken by a neighbor shows the van on fire right after the explosion. . . . Hialeah fire officials said the van's driver was a welder who had gasoline and oxygen tanks in the vehicle. The mixture exploded when he decided to light a smoke.

After party, sleeping guest's cigarette starts fire

Sat, 05 Jul 2008 04:00:00 GMT

Residents of a house on Fifth Avenue East woke early Friday morning to find a 22-year-old guest from a keg party had fallen asleep on a couch with a lit cigarette, causing the couch and parts of the ceiling to catch fire, according to the Duluth Fire Department.

Arby's Fire Blamed On Tossed Cigarette

Fri, 04 Jul 2008 04:00:00 GMT

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

Van Explodes As Driver Lights Cigarette

ipoll@cfnews13.com — Fri, 04 Jul 2008 04:00:00 GMT

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.

Investigators: Discarded Cigarette Sparks Fire

lannews@wgal.com — Fri, 04 Jul 2008 04:00:00 GMT

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.

Lit cigarette ignites fume-filled van; driver lives

eberas@MiamiHerald.com (ERIKA BERAS) — Thu, 03 Jul 2008 04:00:00 GMT

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.

Duluth Hillside Fire Caused By Careless Smoking

Fri, 04 Jul 2008 04:00:00 GMT

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.

Smoking Ruled As Cause Of Crystal Fire

http://wcco.com/video/?id=43978@wcco.dayport.com (Area) — Fri, 04 Jul 2008 04:00:00 GMT

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.

Cigarette sparks brush fire

Thu, 03 Jul 2008 04:00:00 GMT

Discarded cigarette caused apartment blaze

dmacaulay@dailypress.com (DAVID MACAULAY) — Wed, 02 Jul 2008 04:00:00 GMT

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.

Brasstown blaze second from cigarette in days: Fire chief warns that area is too dry

Wed, 02 Jul 2008 04:00:00 GMT

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.

Fires prompt cigarette safety warning

lutz@aspendailynews.com (Catherine Lutz, Aspen Daily News Staff Writer ) — Sun, 29 Jun 2008 04:00:00 GMT

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.

Roadshow: Report butt-flingers to CHP

grichards@mercurynews.com (Gary Richards Mercury News Staff Columnist) — Fri, 27 Jun 2008 04:00:00 GMT

I was watching KRON-TV's reports on the Summit fire in the Santa Cruz Mountains when the camera caught someone who was watching the fire from the side of the road throw a lit cigarette butt over the guardrail - right in front of a firefighter! The fireman went up and scolded the individual. I thought that fire department personnel had the power to arrest individuals for doing something stupid like this or at least detaining them until police arrived.

You can report littering like this in Santa Clara County at stopvehiclelittering@sanjoseca.gov or by calling (408) 277-4111. But there is no similar hotline for other counties in the Bay Area and there needs to be. We spend nearly $50 million a year cleaning trash from state roads and discarded cigarette butts pose terrible risks in this dry season.

the car I was behind had a smoker with her arm out the window casually flicking the ash off the ciggie. To my horror, she flicked the lit cigarette out the window, toward the side of the road. I have friends who lost everything in the fire in Aptos, and the fact that this woman flicked a burning cigarette out the window made me really depressed - apparently people are that dumb. I dialed 911 and was able to give them a very good description of the car. Is the CHP going to do anything about the call I made? . . .

You can call (800) TELL-CHP and that agency may send a warning letter to the offending butt-flingers. But they can't ticket someone if they didn't witness the incident. Raymond e-mailed Santa Clara County's anti-littering hotline so the driver on Blossom Hill will get a scolding letter in the mail.

Cigar or cigarette may have caused Yorba Linda fire: Fire believed to have begun in the garage, authorities said.

Thu, 26 Jun 2008 04:00:00 GMT

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.

Fire-Safe Cigarette Law To Be Implemented July 1

Thu, 26 Jun 2008 04:00:00 GMT

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.