Although there were no deaths connected to fire, Fire Chief Iles is urging people to be attentive.
Last week, the Gravenhurst Fire Department voiced its concerns over the province-wide death toll connected to fires and Mike Iles the Fire Chief in Dysart et al has some concerns of his own.
Gravenhurst noted the leading cause of fires in Ontario is careless smoking fires in the kitchen. Iles in an interview with My Haliburton Now.com urges the public to be attentive with smoking materials of any kind because they can lead to fires, injuries or even deaths.
Using a structure fire from earlier this week as an example, Fire Chief Iles emphasized the importance of having a functioning smoke alarm. He says in this instance the smoke alarm going off was the difference between life and death for the people in his example, adding that he suspects in a lot of cases where people have died there was either no smoke detector or it was there and not working.
According to the Gravenhurst Fire Department, there are certain areas of the province where contraband cigarettes will not self-extinguish so there is a need for extra care if you are going to smoke them.