Discarding Fireplace Ashes

The Upper Pine River Fire Department wants to remind everyone to use a metal can with a tight fitting lid for fireplace ashes.

Every year the department responds to fires started by improperly discarded fireplace ashes.

Tips for safely discarding your fireplace ashes:

• Do not use plastic buckets, card board boxes, brown paper bags or trash cans for ashes.
• Ashes can stay hot for many days or even a week.
• Those ashes can ignite the wrong container when left outside where the wind blows.
• Or even worse, they can ignite the container when left inside the home, resulting in the house catching on fire!
• So stay safe and use the proper container for your ashes.