Local RCMP are asking people to be very careful where they dispose of cigarette butts.
Police and fire crews were called out Sunday to a brush fire underneath the Yale Road overpass in Chilliwack. The fire was quickly doused before it could cause any damage. Investigators found a discarded cigarette to be the cause.
“With the warmer spring and summer months approaching, the risk of fires being started by human carelessness, such as this, increases.” said RCMP Sgt. Gerry Hansom. “People must realize that they could be held responsible for any damage done by fires started from lit cigarettes and, depending on the circumstances, they could face charges for their actions. On this day, we were lucky that the fire was extinguished before anyone was injured or significant property damage occurred.”