Great Falls Fire Rescue has responded to multiple fires over the last week started by people disposing of cigarettes in flower pots filled with potting soil.

GFFR is reminding residents that this is a fire hazard and with Montana winds, conditions are prime for these types of fired.

It’s a similar reminder to one issued by GFFR in 2020 after three accidental fires, two of which involved smoking extinguishment in potting soil and once was cigarette extinguishment in a compost pile.

This month, GFFR responded to three fires in under 24 hours that were caused by improper disposal of smoking materials.

On Dec. 8, GFFR responded to a house fire that left the house uninhabitable.

Fire destroys home, no injuries reported, cause under investigation

That same morning, GFFR responded to a porch fire caused by a cigarette in a planter.

On Dec. 9, GFFR responded to a fire at an apartment building, also caused by improper disposal of smoking materials.

GFFR released an update on the Dec. 8 house fire at 1813 6th Ave. N. and determined that the cause was improper disposal of smoking materials.

Fire Marshal Mike McIntosh said that “smoking materials should not be placed into pots with potting soil. The ingredients of potting soil is a well-known fire starter.”

Fatal Oct. 5 fire caused by smoking near portable oxygen

On Dec. 11, GFFR responded to a house fire at 629 27th Ave. N.E that was reported to have started in the kitchen, causing extensive damage to the kitchen and smoke damage to the rest of the house.

The home’s occupants were at work when the fire started, but were alerted to the fire by a smart home system and sent a family member, who discovered the fire, according to GFFR.

Two dogs were in the house at the time of the fire, but were found unharmed.

The home occupants were put in touch with the American Red Cross.

GFFR responds to two house fires over last week

The cause of the fire is under investigation, according to GFFR.

McIntosh is encouraging residents to properly dispose of smoking materials to avoid fires this holiday season, and all the time:

• use a deep, sturdy ashtray, placed away from anything that can burn.
• do not discard cigarettes in mulch, potted plants, landscaping or other things that could ignite easily
• before you throw away butts and ashes, make sure they are out, preferably by dousing in water or sand
• do not flick cigarettes off a balcony

In 2020, Dirk Johnson, GFFR fire marshal at the time who is now the Montana state fire marshal, said that many bags of potting soil don’t include warnings of their combustibility.

GFFR warns public not to extinguish cigarettes in potting soil [2020]

Most potting soil is comprised of numerous flammable materials such as peat moss, wood fiber, coconut fiber, chopped bark or compost, aged forest products, aged humus and/or composted rice hulls, perlite, limestone, earthworm castings, alfalfa meal, kelp meal, feather meal and yucca extract, among other ingredients, according to information from GFFR.

According to firefighting agencies, potting mixes are increasingly the root cause of house fires when people extinguish their cigarettes in pots filled with potting soils.

Better options for putting out cigarettes, Johnson said, include jars of water, empty metal containers or containers with actual sand that doesn’t contain other combustible material.

*Photo by GFFR