The Columbus Fire Department is warning of the dangers of throwing away lit cigarettes, especially with the recent hot, dry weather. That’s after three separate fires on Friday that investigators say were sparked with improperly disposed of smoking materials.

Capt. Mike Wilson says that two of the fires were caused when cigarettes were thrown into mulch. The first happened at about 12:42 p.m. Friday afternoon at the entrance to the Clifty Crossing Shopping Center and the second was about an hour and a half later at the Qdoba on National Road. FIrefighters used water to douse both of those small fires, Wilson said.

More seriously, a cigarette thrown into an overflowing ashtray on a patio at the Stonegate Apartments started a fire at just after 9 p.m. Friday night. Wilson says that a passerby noticed the flames and firefighters were on scene within four minutes. Firefighters quickly got that fire under control as it threatened to spread into the eaves and roof, Wilson said. They broke open the apartment door to check for victims but no one was home.

Damage was estimated at about $5,000.

He said that if you are smoking, you should discard of your butts in a large, deep ashtray that won’t tip over. You should make sure to empty the ash tray frequently and consider dipping cigarettes in water before disposing of them.

And you should never throw a cigarette from a vehicle, where it could start a fire in dry vegetation.