Fire safety tips following Hunt Club apartment’s massive fire

FORT WAYNE, Ind. (Fort Wayne’s NBC) - A weekend apartment fire caused by cigarette butts in Fort Wayne has left some people without a place to live.

According to the Fort Wayne Police Department, cigarette butts on an apartment deck ignited, causing the massive fire at the Hunt Club Apartments.

Crews responded to the fire at the apartment complex off of Illinois Road around 9:30 p.m. on April 2. Dozens of residents there were evacuated as the fire broke out, and luckily, no injuries were reported. Firefighters were able to extinguish the flames in about 40 minutes.

According to the National Park Services, every year, almost 1,000 smokers and nonsmokers are killed in home fires caused by cigarettes and other smoking materials, making this the #1 cause of home fire deaths in the United States. The study goes on to say most fires caused by smoking materials start on beds or furniture, or in the trash.

Here are some tips:

When you smoke outside, discard cigarettes and ashes in an unburnable (and unmeltable) can filled with sand, and never throw cigarettes on the ground.
Wherever you smoke, use deep, sturdy ashtrays with a wide, stable base that are difficult to tip over and set ashtrays on something sturdy and difficult to ignite, such as a table.
Soak cigarette butts and ashes in water before throwing them away. Never toss hot cigarette butts or ashes in the trash.
Make sure cigarettes and ashes are out before throwing them in the trash can.

For more tips, you can visit their website.