Calgary Fire Department releases January 2019 fire causes
Throughout 2019 and when possible, the Calgary Fire Department (CFD) will provide citizens with the causes of notable fires that have been shared in earlier press releases every month. While cause cannot always be determined in every incident, this work is an important part of CFD's role in reducing risk in Calgary's communities.
“January 2019 saw crews respond to a number of fires that had a range of causes,” said Carol Henke, Public Information Officer. “Overall, the leading cause of residential fires in our city continues to be cooking left unattended; however, January saw a number of fires related to improper disposal of smoking material, a cause which also resulted in two fatality fires in December 2018.”
The following is a list of notable fires and confirmed causes from releases issued in January 2019:
- 02 January 2019 attic fire – electrical in nature.
- 09 January 2019 garage fire – improper disposal of smoking materials.
- 17 January 2019 house fire – improper disposal of smoking materials.
- 24 January 2019 building fire – improper disposal of smoking materials.
- 25 January 2019 house fire – lit candle was knocked over.
- 31 January 2019 house fire – electrical failure.
CFD would like to remind citizens of the following when disposing of smoking material:
- Always use a deep, sturdy and non combustible receptacle that contains water or sand.
- Before you throw away cigarette butts and ashes, make sure they are out by soaking in water.
- Never discard cigarettes in vegetation such as mulch, potted plants or landscaping, peat moss, dried grasses, leaves or other things can easily ignite.
For more information on fire safety and fire prevention, please visit www.calgary.ca/fire
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