Grass fire - Dagenham

Firefighters were called to a grass fire on Canberra Close in Dagenham after the unsafe disposal of cigarettes is believed to be the cause of the fire.

Around 20 square meters of brambles and bushes were damaged by the blaze. There were no reports of any injuries.

Dagenham Station Officer Tony Parkin who was at scene said, “If you're a smoker it’s absolutely essential that cigarettes are put right out and disposed of properly.

“Make sure that lit cigarettes are never left unattended.”

Brigade top tips on Grass fires:

Causes

• The most common causes of grass fires are discarded cigarettes, which if thrown from a car window can ignite dry grass verges
• Another common way that these fires start is from glass bottles which can concentrate the suns rays onto dry grass and shrubbery

Precautions

• Never leave camp fires or barbeques unattended and extinguish them properly after you have finished using them
• Clear away bottles, glasses and any broken glass to avoid them magnifying the sun and starting a fire
• Dispose of smoking materials such as cigarettes safely
• Explain to children the dangers of playing with and lighting fires

The Brigade was called at 1411 and the fire was under control by 1436. Two fire engines and around 10 firefighters from Dagenham fire station attended the scene.