Downtown Lawton Incident Shows Fire Risks From Discarded Cigarettes

Oklahoma is currently experiencing dangerous wildfire weather, which means it doesn't take much for wildfire to spark and spread rapidly. One way a wildfire can easily be ignited is by cigarettes, and I experienced this firsthand in downtown Lawton.

On Monday, March 16, I was walking out of PopShelf after restocking on Hi-Chews, and noticed that the ground near an area of bushes was emitting clouds of smoke. Shoppers walked by the smoke, thinking nothing of it, but I decided to looked closer.

I noticed that there was a good sized hot spot. An area of mulch was burning and a charred circle had formed on the surface was smoking. I saw a cigarette butt and deduced that the discarded cigarette had burned the area of mulch, but the mulch was still smoking, so the embers weren't fully out.

The discarded cigarette caused a mulch fire, smoldering underneath the surface unnoticed.

I decided to step on the burned area, to snuff out the remaining embers, but more smoke was emitted as I stepped on the charred mulch, and I realized that a little mulch fire had formed. A mulch fire can be dangerous, especially during high fire danger, because these types of fires begin underneath the surface, and they smolder unnoticed.

I immediately called the City of Lawton's non-emergency line and walked to my car to get my water bottle. As I talked to the operator, I poured my water on the charred mulch and it helped snuff out some of the embers, but after a minute or so, the area began to smoke again.

The operator dispatched the closest fire station, and I waited for the firemen to arrive so they knew the exact area. The firefighters did confirm that the mulch was ignited by a discarded cigarette. Luckily, the area wasn't too inflamed, so the firefighters were able to put it out with more water. The response only took about 10 to 15 minutes, which is much better, and safer for the community, than responding to a full blown wildfire.

READ MORE: Oklahoma's Dry Spell Is Sparking Wildfire Concerns

Would that discarded cigarette have caused a wildfire in downtown Lawton?

It may seem like a wildfire couldn't happen in downtown Lawton, but anything is possible when the conditions are right for wildfires to thrive. Comanche County is currently under a Burn Ban, and on Monday, March 16, Comanche County was under a Fire Weather Watch.

Both the Burn Ban and the Fire Weather Watch are signals to the community that wildfires are possible and the conditions are there for wildfires to thrive. So, yes, that discarded cigarette butt could've caused a wildfire in the middle of downtown Lawton.

Discarded cigarettes, grills, dragging chains and more can easily spark wildfires.

More than just discarded cigarettes can spark a wildfire when conditions are right. Other everyday activities that can cause wildfires include grilling and dragging tailer chains. See the full list below of eight activities that can easily spark a wildfire.

And if you come across any smoke or flames, immediately call 911.