Crack down on cigarette tossers

Regarding the April 21 article, “Summer wildfire protection starts at home”:

Your article overlooks the major source of human caused wildfires — lit cigarette butts. How many times have you seen evidence of brush fires along the highway in the summer? How many wildfire reports list the probable cause as “a discarded cigarette butt”? If we really want to prevent wildfires, we need to enforce existing laws. In Washington, the illegal act of throwing a lit cigarette butt on the ground anywhere carries a $1,000 fine!

I’m sure you have noticed smokers on the road. They always leave their window opened 6 inches or so to let the smoke out. When they are finished with their smoke they very sheepishly slip their hand out the window and drop their lit butt, hoping no one will notice. This is yet another example of how the careless act of a few seriously impacts many. Let’s get tough on this potentially disastrous form of littering. Stop wildfires before they start.

Fred Black

Skykomish