Joe Reno, right, uses a water hose to extinguish a fire that started in the garden mulch at a North Sydney residence on Aug. 12. Mulch fires have been increasing in the CBRM during the dry, hot conditions said Sydney Fire Department Deputy Chief Craig MacNeil. CONTRIBUTED ContributedArticle contentJennifer MacCormick thought it was a steam when she first drove by a North Sydney home during the heatwave on Tuesday.THIS CONTENT IS RESERVED FOR SUBSCRIBERS ONLY.Subscribe now to access this story and more:Unlimited access to the website and appExclusive access to premium content, newsletters and podcastsFull access to the e-Edition app, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment onEnjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalistsSupport local journalists and the next generation of journalistsSUBSCRIBE TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES.Subscribe or sign in to your account to continue your reading experience.Unlimited access to the website and appExclusive access to premium content, newsletters and podcastsFull access to the e-Edition app, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment onEnjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalistsSupport local journalists and the next generation of journalistsRegister to unlock more articles.Create an account or sign in to continue your reading experience.Access additional stories every monthShare your thoughts and join the conversation in our commenting communityGet email updates from your favourite authorsSign In or Create an AccountorArticle contentHer and her boyfriend, fellow Canada Post mail carrier Joe Reno, had just left work and were going to drive by the farmers exhibition to see how busy it was. Then she saw it.Article contentArticle content“I could see on someone’s lawn what looked like something from someone’s dryer vent or something, or maybe even dust just blowing around,” she said.Article contentArticle content“I told Joe … he told me not to be nosey.”Article contentThey drove around the Cape Breton Farmers’ Exhibition and MacCormick asked to pass the residence on their way home, just to double check.Article contentWhat they found was undoubtedly smoke. The garden mulch had caught on fire with no one in sight.Article content“Joe said, ‘Oh my God, it’s actually smoke.’”Article content Cape Breton Regional Fire Service Deputy Chief Craig MacNeil says calls about mulch catching on fire are increasing in the Cape Breton Regional Municipality as the drought continues. Cape Breton Post Photo by Ian Nathanson /IAN NATHANSON/CAPE BRETON POSTArticle contentDANGEROUS IN DRY CONDITIONSArticle contentThe couple pulled over and jumped into action. Reno knocked on the door of the home to alert the residents but no one answered.Article contentMacCormick brought a hose from the side of the house to Reno who started putting out the fire in the mulch, which had flames and was growing.Article contentThe resident was in a garage in the backyard and had no idea about the fire in the front of his home.Article contentEven after it was out, the mulch appeared to be a hotspot, said MacCormick.Article content“Even after wetting it down, if you bent down and even stirred the mulch with your hand, it would actually start to smoke,” she said.Article contentArticle content“We handed him the hose and told him he was going to have to wet down all his mulch or get rid of it by the looks of it.”Article content Westmount Volunteer Fire Department members respond to a grass fire they believe was started when a person mowing their law hit a rock and a spark ignited the dry grass. CONTRIBUTED ContributedArticle contentON THE RISEArticle contentCape Breton Regional Fire Service Deputy Chief Craig MacNeil said calls about mulch catching on fire are increasing in the Cape Breton Regional Municipality as the drought continues.Article content“It can spontaneously combust if it has the exact right conditions,” said MacNeil, who has been in fire services for 32 years.Article content“But most likely it is a discarded butt into the mulch and it smouldered for hours before becoming a fire. So, that’s a problem we’re seeing.”Article contentNorth Sydney Volunteer Fire Department Chief Lloyd MacIntosh said they were called to the scene of Tuesday’s fire and there have been others.Article contentHe said when conditions are as dry as they are now, fire risk increases tenfold for activities that are generally low risk.Article contentFor instance, smoking outside and discarding the butt in a can designated for it.
Mulch ado about fires in the Cape Breton Regional Municipality
