Every year, cigarette butts in flower pots and flower beds cause numerous fires in Montréal and hundreds of thousands of dollars in damages.
The material used in potting soil, such as sod or peat moss, is flammable. Putting a cigarette or any other smoker's material out in soil can easily cause a fire.
Four or five hours may pass between the time when a cigarette is put out and the first flame appears, which can then spread to a patio, a balcony or even your home.
These incidents can easily be avoided, however. If you need to put out a cigarette outside, use an ashtray that is protected from the wind and that has been placed on a stable service. You can also use a jelly jar that is deep enough to fill with wet sand or water.
In summer, make sure to keep soil moist, especially during extreme heat events.