Charlottetown's fire inspector urges awareness with mulch

Charlottetown's fire inspector is warning people to be careful with mulch.

Burning mulch was pinpointed as the cause of a fire that destroyed an apartment building in Charlottetown on Wednesday.

Winston Bryan is asking people to be careful with mulch as it can smoulder without notice.

He said aburn can start from a piece of glass in the mulch catching the sunlight, or from people flicking cigarettes or ash into the mulch. That can be especially true near landscaped areas, like drive-thru windows.

"People that are extinguishing cigarettes without butting them out, be very careful where they go," he said. "If you're in a drive-thru and there's mulch throughout the drive-thru area, don't flick it out onto the mulch."

The Charlottetown fire department received multiple calls this past week about mulch fires in drive-thrus, Bryan said.

Mulch won't combustby itself

Mulch is typically used for decorative purposes in flower beds and around homes.

Bryan said mulch will not combust on its own and needs an ignition source, such as a cigarette.

"People are putting mulch over mulch over mulch for three years," he said. "That mulch gets very old underneath."

The top layers might not be an issue, but the old layers underneath becomedry and brittle and are more combustible.

"If you are putting fresh mulch down, make sure you take the old mulch away," Bryan said.

Bryan also recommends keeping mulch away from homes. He recommends about 18 centimetres.

"It still looks very nice, but it just gives you that little safer feeling," Bryan said.

Eliminate ignition point

When homeowners are watering plants it is a good idea to dampen the mulch, he said. "That way there it stays moist and it eliminates the ignition point," Bryan said.

Bryan reiterated that mulch is safeas long is there isn't something introduced to it that can ignite it.

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