Highlands fire raises mulch safety questions

In fact, State Fire Marshal Stephen Coan issued an April advisory — "Smoking Causes Outdoor Fires" — urging smokers to properly dispose of their cigarette butts and encouraging businesses to provide the proper receptacles.

Mieth said the agency typically sees a spike in these fires in the springtime as homeowners and business owners spruce up their landscaping. As smokers have increasingly gone outdoors to smoke, more fires have begun outdoors.

Last year, 2,063 fires in Massachusetts were caused by smoking, and of them 1,097 were tree, brush or grass fires, the advisory said.

The state already has a law on the book penalizing smokers who start fires by flicking cigarettes out their car windows, but the struggle is connecting the person to the cigarette, Mieth said.

She said the fire marshal has advocated for more comprehensive sprinkler laws that aim to preserve life before property.

Read More