Toronto Fire is sounding the alarm over a very serious public safety issue.
Careless smokers are tossing their cigarette butts over a balcony, land on a nearby balcony, and start a fire.
So far this year the city is averaging one a week.
There have already been 27 balcony fires caused by this recklessness. There were 25, in total, last year.
"We had an incident the other night at 245 Dunn Avenue where a carelessly discarded cigarette caused a fire on balcony that spread to the unit above and the unit adjacent. Toronto Fire Service staff were required to rescue an occupant adjacent to the fire unit who was in a wheelchair," describes Deputy Fire Chief Jim Jessop
Over $300,000 in property damage has already been caused.
"The other issue that we've discovered is individuals disposing of their cigarettes in potted plants, especially peat moss. We've had a number of fires on balconies resulting from that, as well," he adds.
There is nothing under the Fire Protection and Prevention Act or the Ontario Fire Code that speaks to how cigarettes must be disposed. "We would all hope common sense and respect for your neighbours would play into the matter. Certainly the evidence right now is trending in the wrong way," Jessop says.