Mulch Fire Believed to Be Result of Improperly Discarded Cigarette

Firefighters responded to 17 Coronado Court for a report of mulch on fire. 

Occupants of the residential building pointed Ladder Co. 2 to the mulch by the front door. They reported there had been fire about 45 minutes prior in the location where the mulch meets the building. An extinguisher and water were used to try to put out the fire, but the occupants reported they had been trying to put out embers and hot spots ever since. The estimated area of the burned mulch was approximately three feet by six inches.

Firefighters used a thermal imaging camera and detected a heat profile running along the foundation of the building, including along and under the concrete slab in front of the main entrance. Ladder 2 used hand tools to pull away the heated mulch while at the same time cooled the mulch with water and foam. The crew also went inside the building and basement to make sure fire had not entered the building. 

One occupant reported they’d been smoking in the area earlier that night. They believed their cigarette was out before discarding it, but they could not be certain. Given the outdoor conditions at the time, including cold temperatures and a wind chill around 10 degrees, spontaneous combustion of the mulch was an unlikely cause of the fire. 

Ladder 2 confirmed no heat profiles remained in the mulch or along the building foundation prior to departing the scene.