Winnipeg, MB – At 2:58 p.m. on Friday, July 1, 2022, the Winnipeg Fire Paramedic Service (WFPS) responded to reports of a fire at a two-and-a-half-storey house in the 500 block of Maryland Street.
When crews arrived on-scene, they found smoke coming from the balcony on the exterior of the house. An attack was launched and the fire was declared under control at 3:11 p.m.
All occupants of the house safely self-evacuated prior to the arrival of crews. No injuries were reported.
Preliminary observations suggest the fire was caused by the improper disposal of a cigarette butt. Residents are reminded of the following safety tips:
- Smoking material should always be extinguished in a proper ashtray or deep metal container.
- Cigarette butts should never be thrown from balconies, car windows, or disposed of near any vegetation such as grass, leaves or brush.
- Never use a plant pot as an ashtray. Potting soil is a mix of dirt and a number of combustible organic materials such as peat moss, shredded wood and minerals which are combustible. When a butt is put into a planter, it can smolder for several hours. Once the container heats up, it can crack, giving the smoldering material oxygen and the opportunity to spread to other combustibles such as decks, balconies, walls, etc.
No damage estimates are available at this time.