A fire that caused a significant amount of damage in Creekside last week was started by a cigarette that wasn’t properly put out. After an investigation by the Grande Prairie Fire Department, officials say roughly $450,000 in damage was done to three homes and three vehicles.
The fire broke out in the mobile home park some time around 1 p.m. on August 31st. By the time firefighters arrived, one home was already fully engulfed in flames, which had then spread to its neighbour.
Everyone home made it out safe, although one woman was treated for smoke inhalation and another for injuries from a fall. From the outset, it was believed the fire started on the outside of the first house.
The fire department is reminding residents who smoke to make sure to get rid of their cigarettes safely. That include using deep, non-combustible ashtrays, not planters.
Fire prevention officer Leann Johnson adds that matches and butts should be wet and completely extinguished before being put in a garbage bin. She says butts should never be thrown on the ground.