Winnipeg, MB – At 9:15 p.m. on June 21, 2019, the Winnipeg Fire Paramedic Service responded to reports of a fire in an 11-storey apartment block in the 1000 block of Henderson Highway. Once on scene, crews found a fire on a fourth floor balcony. It was quickly knocked down before it extended to the walls of the structure.
Evacuation of the building was not required. No injuries were reported.
The cause of the fire was determined to be accidental, due to the improper disposal of a cigarette butt.
Residents are reminded they should 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. Smoking material should always be extinguished in an ashtray or deep metal container. Butts should also never be thrown from balconies, car windows, or disposed of near any vegetation such as grass or brush.