Temuka fire chief Richard Webb has warned people of the dangers of incorrect disposal of hot ash after it caused two serious fires in the township this winter. “We get a few fires every year through the disposal of ashes, maybe two or three a year, and they are usually wheelie bin fires or compost heap fires and it is just a result of the ash being improperly disposed of,” Webb said. READ MORE:* Quick thinking saves Horowhenua home after hot ashes spark fire* Hot ashes dumped in bin likely cause of Invercargill rubbish truck fire* Compost heap fire in Winchester“When you disrupt them in a bin or a compost heap they rekindle and can ignite whatever they’ve been put into or onto,” Webb said. “Our recommendation is that when removing ashes from a fire, put them in a metal bucket with, if possible, a lid, and certainly douse it with water to remove the heat from the ashes.”He said if the ashes don’t feel hot after five days they can be disposed of on the compost or the wheelie bin. “We don’t have a huge number of these fires in Temuka, so we have to compliment the people that are doing it right, but a lot of people think they are doing it right, and we just need to re-emphasise that ashes can stay hot for up to five days.”

Source: Stuff August 21, 2020 00:33 UTC