COOL YOUR ASHES – A SPECIAL MESSAGE FROM FIREFIGHTERS

The volunteer fire fighting service Balcón al Mar Voluntarios has issued a plea to residents and visitors to Xàbia to be particularly careful with the disposal of hot embers, either from a barbeque or from a fireplace, to prevent repeated incidents at the rubbish collection zones across the municipality.

In a message posted on their social media, the organisation says that with the colder weather setting in and the increased use of fireplaces to heat homes, the risk of container fires is also increased by the incorrect disposal of hot embers and ashes which have not been completed extinguished. This brings an extremely high risk of container fires.

They urge residents to ensure that ashes and embers are well extinguished before placing them in the containers. They should be placed in a metal bucket-container and water poured on them allowing them to cool for 2-3 days before disposing of them in the rubbish containers to be completely sure that they cannot start a fire.

They explained that this is not an insignificant problem. Incidents of poorly disposed embers and ashes cost more than 50,000 EUR a year along with the cost of replacing containers. But, perhaps more importantly, these fires can often spread to nearby forested areas and become a much greater problem for the municipality.

Thus, the clear message is: please ensure that your ashes and embers are completely extinguished before throwing them in the containers.

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