Firefighters want to make the population aware of the danger posed by the highly flammable cedar mulch found in flower beds when the hot weather could last until the end of September.
Many fire departments consulted by The newspaper in different regions of Quebec fear that the drought at the end of summer will favor fires that start in cedar mulch and flower pots. Most often caused by cigarette butts, 245 fires caused more than $ 2.4 million in damage last year in Montreal alone, according to data from the fire department of the city of Montreal.
In Quebec City, around 30 incidents caused by these fuels are listed each year, according to the Quebec City report.
“People are not sufficiently aware of the risks posed by cedar mulch and even the soil of flower boxes,” said the director of the Fire Department of the city of Chambly, Alexandre Tremblay.
Smoke outside
“As people no longer smoke in the houses, they use the balconies and terraces to smoke their cigarettes. Too many of them throw away their butts without putting them out. It can be very dangerous in a dry mulch, ”says Louise Desrosiers, head of fire prevention training at the City of Montreal.
Same story for Jean-Maurice Marleau, director of the Beauharnois fire safety service: “It’s a growing problem that concerns us a lot, especially during a heat wave. “
Made mainly from sawn wood residues, mulch (cedar chips) has long been used to, among other things, prevent the regrowth of weeds. The problem is that this wood becomes very dry during periods of low precipitation. Environment Canada recently announced that the summer could last and that September promises to be very hot in the south of the province.
Recent incidents
Three recent fires have also started in a garden or a flower box. Last June, a fire completely destroyed a house on rue Michel-Levasseur in Chambly, throwing four people onto the street. Even if the investigation is not complete on the causes of the disaster, the mulch in the back could be involved.
Mathieu-Robert Sauvé
This Chambly house burned down last June, probably because of a smoker’s article that ignited mulch in the back.
A fire of this type mobilized 10 firefighters on July 31 in Beauharnois. A citizen allegedly threw his cigarette butt into the flower bed where there was mulch in the early evening; the embers smoldered for over four hours before igniting.
On August 5, an eight-unit building on rue Lapierre in Quebec City was engulfed in flames. Most likely cause, according to the fire department: a cigarette butt thrown into a flower box.
Should we ban flammable materials that hide in our gardens? “I don’t think so,” replies Desrosiers. Rather, we must make people aware of the dangers they represent. “
Mulch that does not burn!
A Boucherville company has launched a type of mulch that does not ignite and could replace dry wood fibers, the flammability of which is of concern to fire departments.
“Even if you heat it with a plumbing torch, it doesn’t ignite,” says Steve Savaria, vice-president of Les Matériaux Savaria.
It was following an international meeting on horticultural products in Europe that the company decided to acquire the product from the German firm Cemwood.
“We have had requests for a few years for more durable products than the most common cedar mulch. Several customers have reported to us cases of fires in flower beds. In Montérégie, it was particularly worrying, ”explains Mr. Savaria.
Courtesy
The flammable mulch from Les Matériaux Savaria is covered with a layer of rock.
GaLa DECO STIXX mulch is “mineralized” mulch in that each piece of wood is covered with a thin layer of rock that prevents it from burning.
Although it costs about four times as much as the most common mulch, its price would pay off after a few years, says Savaria. “It’s more durable because it doesn’t have to be replaced annually. And it is more secure. “
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