Mulch catches fire easily, fire inspector warns

A Charlottetown fire inspector is warning people to be careful around mulch after the combustible material was pinpointed as the catalyst in multiple fires on P.E.I. this summer.

Winston Bryan said his department responds to three or four mulch fires per week, and that it's particularly dangerous when combined with an ignition source like a cigarette.

People should not throw a cigarette butt anywhere near mulch — which includes drive-thru windows and flower beds — Bryan said.

"When you're going down a street or you're in a drive-thru or coming out of a building, be smart about it. Don't throw [a butt] on a combustible product."

'Your gardens are still going to look good'

He also cautioned homeowners to be careful when applying mulch to their gardens, and to keep it away from the structure of their home.

"Take the time to scrape the old stuff off and put fresh stuff on. Let's not get a foot of mulch on our properties," Bryan said. 

"Keep it away from your house, don't put it right up against your home. Keep it away from the bottom section of shingles and siding. Your gardens are still going to look good."

Fire could start much later

A fire won't necessarily start right away. It can take anywhere from an hour to a day or more after the butt is thrown into mulch, Bryan said.

The P.E.I. fire marshal's office has ruled the fire at Montague Town Hall was caused by mulch and an ignition source like a cigarette. An exterior fire at McDonalds in Charlottetown earlier this summer was also blamed on mulch.

"All fires need oxygen, fuel and an ignition source. The end result — mulch in your property, mulch on the side of the flower beds in the downtown core, drive-thrus, people always take the easy way out and throw their cigarettes."

Flower pots 'very, very dangerous'

Wind is also a factor, and that's why most mulch fires in Charlottetown happen in the afternoon, Bryan said.

Flower pots are "very, very dangerous" when combined with a cigarette butt, he said.

"People are out on the deck having a cigarette, or just enjoying themselves, putting their butt out into a flower pot and think it's OK. Well, it's not."

The heat dries out mulch and makes it more combustible just like it does to people's lawns, Bryan said.

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