Cigarette-sparked grassfire prompts warning from Abbotsford police

Police in Abbotsford are warning drivers to “butt out” — or else.

The force is raising concerns about drivers flicking lit cigarette butts out the windows of moving vehicles as hot weather once again heralds the return of fire season.

READ MORE: B.C. driver issued $575 ticket for tossing cigarette butt calls it ‘insane’

Abbotsford police tweeted a video on Wednesday showing a grass fire smouldering at by the side of the road in order to send a message about the risks of discarded cigarette butts.

“The fire appears to have been started by a cigarette butt that had been flicked, probably outside of a moving vehicle, and started the grass smouldering,” Sgt. Judy Bird said.

“As the weather starts to get better, the grass is going to get drier, and we again will be in a position where we have grass fires due to cigarette butts that have been flicked out of vehicles.”

Bird said police still haven’t tracked down the driver responsible.

READ MORE: 4 brush fires in West Vancouver in 4 hours, likely started by discarded cigarettes

“We just got this video from a citizen who was just showing us that the grasses were getting drier much sooner this year, and that he was concerned,” she said.

“He found it just as he was driving by. So no, we don’t have the suspect,” she said.

WATCH: Firefighters warn of risks as temperatures soar

Flicking a lit cigarette doesn’t just come with big fire risks, it also carries hefty fines.

Anyone caught flicking a cigarette butt out their window can be fined $81 under the Motor Vehicle Act for littering. If a fire were to start, the fine would be $575 under the Wildlife Act.