Early on the morning of Monday, January 13, 2025, MCFR was dispatched to a Structure Fire at 314 E 2nd in The Dalles. A passerby saw the fire and called 911. Fire units were dispatched and City of The Dalles police officers responded as well. Officers arrived within two minutes and found that there was a fire in a wooden planter box under a large window at 312A E. 2nd Street. The officers used their fire extinguishers to knock the fire down which kept the fire from entering the building. The outer pane of the window broke due to the heat of the fire, and fortunately the inner pane remained intact keeping the fire outside. The first fire unit arrived a few minutes later and continued fighting the fire, ensuring that the fire did not extend into the interior of the building. The interior was charged with smoke from the fire, but no fire was found inside nor in the walls around the window. Due to the quick action of our law enforcement partners, the fire damage was kept to a minimum.
We have determined that the fire started in a planter box on the exterior of the building under a large window. The fire appears to have ignited from potting soil within the planter box starting from what was likely a cigarette being “snuffed out” in the potting soil. We do not suspect any foul play in the cause of this fire.
MCFR would like to remind and inform those we serve that potting soil is made from a cellulose type of material such as bark mulch or wood fibers, which makes up the bulk of the potting mix. A cigarette can smolder for some time and break out in flames, sometimes hours after the cigarette is “extinguished”. The planter box was under a building overhang which prevented most of the recent rain from adding water to the planter box. Fires in potted plants and planter boxes are a common cause of fires, especially in dryer climates. The best way to ensure that a cigarette butt will not ignite a fire, is to place the butt in a can or metal bucket filled part way with sand and put a lid on the container. A non-combustible container with water is another alternative.