| Sykesville fire officials are expressing concern over the number of house fires in recent months that started from carelessly discarded smoking materials.
Since April alone, there have been three fires in the Sykesville-Eldersburg area that ignited needlessly from such a cause. The latest fire, October 22, damaged the deck of a Kyle Drive home, and would have spread to the adjoining house if not for the quick actions of a neighbor who spotted the fire and used a garden hose to put much of the flames out.
On September 17, a Sykesville family was left homeless by an early morning fire started by a cigarette discarded outside that ignited the deck, and then the home. And on April 25, a three alarm fire destroyed several Eldersburg townhomes, again because of a carelessly discarded cigarette on a deck.
"People don't realize the danger that one small cigarette can pose," fire department spokesman Bill Rehkopf says. "A smoldering cigarette can ignite the wood in a deck, which can then spread quickly to the house."
Vinyl siding on a house can quickly fuel the flames. "If a deck fire ignites the vinyl siding of a home, that siding will burn and melt quickly, and can threaten the entire home," Rehkopf says.
Fire officials recommend having a fire-safe container for discarding cigarettes. Also make sure the cigarette is completely extinguished before it is discarded. |
