Waterville Fire highlights dangers of smoking material disposal after two fires

WATERVILLE -- The Waterville Fire Department is reminding folks about the dangers of not disposing of smoking materials properly after two fires this week.

On Tuesday, crews responded to a fire at 44 Ridge Road in Waterville. The fire was put out quickly, and damage was minimal, but the department says the origin was a trash can and the cause was related to smoking materials.

Then Friday morning, around 9:30, the department responded to 21 Grove Street for another structure fire. They say the origin was once again found to be a trash can, and the cause was improper disposal of smoking materials. The damage was moderate this time.

Waterville Fire says these types of incidents are "highly preventable," and the best practice is to dispose of smoking material in a metal container that conta