Charlottetown mulch fire serves as reminder to be fire safe in hot weather

The Charlottetown Fire Department responded to a mulch fire Friday morning — the third one this week.

Station 1 was dispatched to the fire on Brighton Road just before 7 a.m. It was a small fire with a couple of hot spots.

"That's generally what we get this time of year. Many times it's with discarded ignition items ... like a cigarette or a match," said City of Charlottetown Deputy Fire Chief Tim Mamye.

The department responded with a booster pump and quickly extinguished the fire, said Mamye. There was no damage and no one was harmed.

The department was unable to determine the exact cause, although Mamye said that often smoldering fires like the one that happened Friday morning are caused by cigarettes or matches that had been thrown away.

Mulch fires more common in summer

It was mulch that caught fire, the kind people use for landscaping, in their gardens.

Mulch fires are a common summer concern, explained Mamye.

"We don't get any of those in the winter, but this is the time of year when we do receive any calls for mulch fires and it's generally on a hot humid day like this and people have discarded ... normally along the walkways, entrances to buildings or close to the entrance of an occupancy, and people discard their matter there and overtime it heats up a little bit and causes that small fire."

Normally, the fire department gets one or two mulch-related calls every couple of weeks throughout the summer, Mamye said.

This was the third one this week alone.

'Be careful'

"Be careful with all things that are combustible and heat sources. Keep them separated," he said. 

"When we have the fire index as high as it is and we have an open burning ban on and all the fire permits have been pulled back in regards to burning in the open that we restrict all that and eliminate it entirely ... just be mindful of those situations."

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The deputy chief said a mulch fire like the one that happened Friday morning serves as a reminder to be extra cautious this time of year.

"[Be] aware of where you place your discarded items, like cigarettes or matches, put them in proper receptacles ... make sure they're fully extinguished."

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