Fire marshal warns of danger from cigarettes, barbecues

The fire at a Sutherland condo building, sparked by a plastic container being used as an ashtray, is still fresh on everyone’s mind.

Randy Ryba is Regina’s fire marshal, and he said several fires start each summer when people don’t dispose of their cigarettes properly.

“We have a terrible time every year with people disposing of cigarettes inappropriately, typically on their deck or in their backyard,” Ryba said.

“We lose well over a million dollars worth of structure annually by the careless (discarding) of cigarettes or any smoker’s material.”

Ryba said the issue becomes more common in the second half of the summer.

Ryba’s comments were echoed by Saskatoon fire marshal Brian Conway.

“If you are putting smoking material out improperly or smoking in a place where it is not in a safe manner, then you have that inherent risk of fire,” Conway said.

In the case of the fire that occurred on 108th Street in Saskatoon, Conway said it is the property owner’s responsibility to make sure they have safe and proper containers for smoking material.

The aftermath of a structure fire on 108th Street in the Sutherland community in Saskatoon. Dallas Dahlseide/650 CKOM)

According to Ryba, barbecues are the most common source of fires on people’s properties.

“We probably lose almost half a million dollars in property annually by people having their barbecues too close to structures, be it the house, be it the fence, be it the deck,” Ryba said.

“People leave the barbecue unattended. Careless cooking is our No. 1 cause of fires in the city of Regina, (the) province and the country.”

Ryba said the key is to make sure your barbecue is at least three feet away from any combustible surface, and to stay outdoors when cooking your meals.

“People tend to go back in the house when the barbecue is heating to prepare their food, they come back out, and there could be a very bad outcome because of all this.”

— With files from 650 CKOM’s Steve Seto