This week's fire on Main West was caused by improper disposal of smoking material says the fire department. Damaged is estimated at $500,000.
One firefighter was taken to hospital as a precaution due to extreme heat stress symptoms. The firefighter has been released and is back at work.
Fire Chief Jason Whiteley praised a citizen who stopped and alerted the homeowners of the fire.
"Her actions allowed the family to self-evacuate prior to our arrival.
"As Fire Chief I am concerned with the number of drivers that had total disregard for the safety of emergency personnel working on the scene. We had drivers trying to drive through the emergency work zone and driving over hoses; this created additional safety concerns for fire crews who were concentrating on the required assignments to put out the fire."
The place where we feel safest — at home — is where most smoking-materials structure fires, deaths, and injuries occur. Smoking materials and unattended cooking are the leading cause of fire deaths in Ontario. Smoking material fires are preventable.
However, the owners of the home dispute the fire department's finding.
"We are the owners of 1070 Main West,"Chris Wilson and Katie Voyer emailed BayToday. "The findings of the North Bay Fire Department were not fully disclosed to us, and we take issue with their statement. None of the residents of 1070 Main West were smokers."
Smoking Safety
If you smoke, use only fire-safe cigarettes.
If you smoke, smoke outside. Most deaths result from fires that started in living rooms, family rooms and dens or in bedrooms.
Keep cigarettes, lighters, matches, and other smoking materials up high out of the reach of children, in a locked cabinet.
Put It Out
Use a deep, sturdy ashtray. Place it away from anything that can burn.
Do not discard cigarettes in vegetation such as mulch, potted plants or landscaping, peat moss, dried grasses, leaves or other things that could ignite easily.
Before you throw away butts and ashes, make sure they are out, and dousing in water or sand is the best way to do that.
Smoking and Medical Oxygen
Never smoke and never allow anyone to smoke where medical oxygen is used. Medical oxygen can cause materials to ignite more easily and make fires burn at a faster rate than normal. It can make an existing fire burn faster and hotter.
Electronic Cigarettes
Fires have occurred while e-cigarettes were being used, the battery was being charged, or the device was being transported. Battery failures have led to small explosions. Never leave charging e-cigarettes unattended. E-cigarettes should be used with caution
