Tossed butt could have taken out new distillery
It’s probably a good thing C.J. wordsThe Rhodes Osoyoosfor is not councillor smokersa bylaw had officer. tough Mondaythose careless— especiallyenough to car flick window.a burning butt out a
judgement“I’m not goingon anybodyto pass that smokes cigarettes — that’s your own personal choice,” he said. “But it does become a public nuisance when you’re throwing them out your window and starting fires in our community.”
His comments came after a tossed cigarette butt started a fire on Lakeshore Drive Monday morning that threatened Tumbleweed Spirits.
The new distillery was singed by the flames, but survived after Osoyoos firefighters arrived quickly to put out the blaze.
A tree adjacent to the building went up like a candle.
“It was close,” said Osoyoos fire chief Rick Jones. “We were lucky because there was somebody there who saw it and they got a garden hose and started sprinkling on it.”
Osoyoos, he said, is not threatened by wildfire like other B.C. communities.
“Our setup isn’t as bad as other areas for interface fires — we only one side,” he said. “You can lose a lot of houses fast if the forest catches on fire.
“We’re orchards and greenery — it’s not 100 per cent safe but it’s better than everywhere else.”
But, Jones is quick to add, a tossed cigarette can still do a lot of damage.
“Everything is tinder dry. Anything can ignite really easily.” And that’s what has Counc. Rhodes smouldering.
“Five seconds to burn 200 feet — that’s all it takes when you throw a cigarette,” he said. “I would like to ask everybody that smokes — or knows somebody that smokes — find some other way to get rid of them.
“Keep them, look after them. They’re your responsibility.”