Cigarette butt thrown into dead grass starts yard fire

Crews respond to a fire at a town home in Washington City, Utah, June 25, 2018 | File photo by Joseph Witham, St. George News

WASHINGTON CITY — Firefighters quickly extinguished a fire in the backyard of a home in Washington City after a discarded cigarette butt ignited dry, dead grass.

Washington City Fire responded to the small fire at the Bluff View Townhomes on 1100 East at 3:38 p.m.

Crews respond to a fire at a town home in Washington City, Utah, June 25, 2018 | Photo by Joseph Witham, St. George News

“It was originally reported that a homeowner had been smoking a cigarette and when they were finished, dropped the butt in the yard,” Washington City Fire spokesman Julio Reyes said.

The homeowner noticed the cigarette begin to burn dead grass and immediately called 911, Reyes said, adding that the fire soon spread to a vinyl privacy fence in the backyard of one of the town homes.

An officer from Washington City Police Department was the first to arrive and used an extinguisher on the flames, which slowed the fire’s growth.

“Our crews arrived and put the fire out within just a few minutes,” Reyes said.

No one was injured in the fire, and other than a section of the fence that burned, no other property was involved.

“This is a good reminder for everyone to remember that it is hot and very dry, which makes it much easier for fires to start so we must take extra caution,” Reyes said.

This report is based on preliminary information provided by law enforcement and may not contain the full scope of findings.

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