Accelerants in Cigarettes

[youjustcomplain]

It seems like a situation much like the "guns don't kill people, people kill people". Sure, the cigarette didn't start the fire, the smoker did. The cigarette is still a big part of the puzzle here, but ultimately, the cigarette isn't the one starting the fire. So changing the cigarette doesn't solve the problem. It only shifts responsibility off the addict.

As for all the theories of how road side fires start.... I would say that the cat converter might be responsible for some grass fires. SOME. Exhaust debris or arson, likely also responsible for some few. The majority are started by human carelessness. That would be cigarette tossing, and camp fires left unattended, or just the camp fire growing out of control then abandoned. To even suggest all of the alternate theories of how road side grass fires start is nothing but a desperate attempt by smokers to shift responsibility off them.

I've worked many grass fires that started on the road side. I won't say that makes me an expert on how they start, but I do find lots of cigarette butts laying there. So, please look at the facts. Cigarette butts are generally still on fire when they are tossed out the window. They land in grasses and sometimes, when conditions are just right, the cigarette will ignite the grass.

As if the air being thick with smoke for the past month or two wasn't enough, the media coverage about "wildfires" has been non stop and yet, daily, I see people continuing to toss cig's out the window. It really makes me question our collective intelligence.

[Rider59]

It seems like a situation much like the "guns don't kill people, people kill people". Sure, the cigarette didn't start the fire, the smoker did. The cigarette is still a big part of the puzzle here, but ultimately, the cigarette isn't the one starting the fire. So changing the cigarette doesn't solve the problem. It only shifts responsibility off the addict.

As for all the theories of how road side fires start.... I would say that the cat converter might be responsible for some grass fires. SOME. Exhaust debris or arson, likely also responsible for some few. The majority are started by human carelessness. That would be cigarette tossing, and camp fires left unattended, or just the camp fire growing out of control then abandoned. To even suggest all of the alternate theories of how road side grass fires start is nothing but a desperate attempt by smokers to shift responsibility off them.

I've worked many grass fires that started on the road side. I won't say that makes me an expert on how they start, but I do find lots of cigarette butts laying there. So, please look at the facts. Cigarette butts are generally still on fire when they are tossed out the window. They land in grasses and sometimes, when conditions are just right, the cigarette will ignite the grass.

As if the air being thick with smoke for the past month or two wasn't enough, the media coverage about "wildfires" has been non stop and yet, daily, I see people continuing to toss cig's out the window. It really makes me question our collective intelligence.

Just curious, would the butt not melt into a tiny little ball if it started a fire?

[youjustcomplain]

Just curious, would the butt not melt into a tiny little ball if it started a fire?

Maybe, maybe not. If the cigarette butt lands in a few inches of twigs and grass clippings, then I'd guess there is enough fuel load to burn the entire thing up. If it lands on the gravel shoulder of the road side where there is some light grasses, it could easily light the grass and the fire spread away from it. The cigarette would likely burn out at the filter and be left laying in the gravel.

[Poindexter]

It seems like a situation much like the "guns don't kill people, people kill people". Sure, the cigarette didn't start the fire, the smoker did. The cigarette is still a big part of the puzzle here, but ultimately, the cigarette isn't the one starting the fire. So changing the cigarette doesn't solve the problem. It only shifts responsibility off the addict.

As if the air being thick with smoke for the past month or two wasn't enough, the media coverage about "wildfires" has been non stop and yet, daily, I see people continuing to toss cig's out the window. It really makes me question our collective intelligence.

I know what you're saying but there's a good reason one of the most popular phrases on this fb is "you can't fix stupid", that's because it's true. We can issue fines, jail time or whatever and I can guarantee you it won't stop butt tossers. Why is it we are OK with a product that's known to start fires when there's a easy fix? Why are smokers OK with smoking salt peter and carpet glue? Simple solution for both is have cigarette manufactures remove the accelerants. It doesn't seem like it would be the end of the world and we could reduce the number of household fire fatalities, reduce the number of forest fires and reduce the toxicity of cigarettes for those who choose to smoke.

[Poindexter]

Just curious, would the butt not melt into a tiny little ball if it started a fire?

This is why I question how they determined that a truck's exhaust started the 2015 Joe Rich fire. How would they know this unequivocally given that if it was a cigarette, there's a good chance there'd be nothing left of it.

[Rider59]

Just curious, would the butt not melt into a tiny little ball if it started a fire?

Maybe, maybe not. If the cigarette butt lands in a few inches of twigs and grass clippings, then I'd guess there is enough fuel load to burn the entire thing up. If it lands on the gravel shoulder of the road side where there is some light grasses, it could easily light the grass and the fire spread away from it. The cigarette would likely burn out at the filter and be left laying in the gravel.

Sounds like a helluva lot a stars need to line up.

[youjustcomplain]

Sounds like a helluva lot a stars need to line up.

You got it. How many hundreds, thousands, tens of thousands of cigarette butts are tossed onto BC road sides daily? Hypothetical obviously. It's not like every cigarette starts a grass fire that explodes and destroys houses. So many factors at play. It's uncommon to say the least. But with the number getting tossed out, it's inevitable.