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Show Cigarettes And Forest Fires Burned or burning cigarettes are discarded dis-carded at the rate of 170,000 a minute 90,000,000,000. a year in the United States according to best figures available, avail-able, Every one of these which is not thoroughly put out before it is thrown away is a potential source of fire. In ignition tests with pads of dry grass it was found that burning cigar-ett cigar-ett butts, with the wind velocity 3 or 4 miles an hour, would start a fire in 93 per cent of the cases. Foresters all know that the cigarette is one of the greatest fire hazards with which they have to contend in the woods and a very small fraction of the enormous number of cigarettes that are discarded is enough to do untold damage. During American forest week, April 22-28 the nation will give special consideration con-sideration to the problem of forest-fire prevention. This says the Forest Service. Serv-ice. United States Department of Agriculture, Agri-culture, will be an excellent time for smokers to form the habit of making sure that their cigarette is out dead out before throwing it away. |