Many people blame wildfires on cigarettes that are tossed out of car windows. Reporter Eric Knabe says changes to cigarettes means they don’t cause as many fires as they used to…
Starting in 2004, states began requiring cigarettes to be self-extinguishing, so they are less likely to cause fires. The advent of self-extinguishing cigarettes led to a 23 percent decrease in the number of cigarette-caused wildfires. But these fire still happen; last February 150 acres burned in a forest near Fort Collins, Colorado, caused by a cigarette butt. Another reason not to flick a cigarette butt out the window of a car: If the police or CHP catches you in the act, you can be charged with littering with a minimum fine of $100, and community service picking up trash or cleaning graffiti for a minimum of eight hours. Get caught again and it’s a minimum of $500 and 16 hours of community service.
