Pine straw is a traditional groundcover for flower beds and landscaping – but it’s also a dangerous fire hazard.
Last week’s Sawmill Apartments fire has been linked to a cigarette tossed into the pine straw beds between two buildings. Damages are estimated at $1 million, and seven of eight apartments were destroyed.
“Discarded smoking materials ignited the pine straw and quickly spread flames to the open stairwell between two buildings, engulfing the primary way out of those apartments,” Whiteville Fire Marshal Hal Lowder said. No residents were injured in the Friday blaze, although one firefighter was treated for heat exhaustion.
To reduce the spread of fire Lowder encourages owners and managers of commercial and multi-family structures to use alternative materials for landscaping within 10 feet of the building.
Pine straw is extremely combustible and has a very rapid rate of fire spread (often over 90 feet per minute).
“Placing it directly against a building foundation—especially near entryways, stairwells, or windows with combustible framing—poses a serious fire risk from discarded cigarettes, grills, or electrical faults,” he explained. “Combustible siding materials increase the risk of vertical fire spread into the attics of structures.”
