Is Bark A Fire Hazard

[FoxLee2]

My son has a patch of ground outside his home which is home to bits of grass and weeds. He has absolutely no interest in gardening so I try and keep it weeded so it looks tidy. It's a never ending job so I decided this year to weed the ground and put bark down. We were talking about it yesterday and one of us suddenly wondered if a passerby threw down a cigarette end, could the bark catch alight. If this alone was not a worry, his car is parked on concrete alongside this patch so a possibly fire and petrol tank..........Any thoughts please?

[RATTER15]

I would say the chances of bark catching fire is virtually zero.

[FoxLee2]

Thanks for that reassurance.

[Baldric]

Have a look here

https://www.google.co.uk/search?q=z&rls=com.microsoft:en-GB:IE-SearchBox&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&sourceid=ie7&rlz=1I7PRFA_en&gfe_rd=cr&ei=oMvHU4SwNPPH8gfg5IGoCQ&gws_rd=ssl#q=bark+chippings%2Ffire+hazard&rls=com.microsoft:en-GB:IE-SearchBox

[woofgang]

In dry conditions, I have made bark mulch smoulder quite easily when using a flame weed killer. I should also point out that even if you lay a weed suppressor membrane under it, air and bird born weed seeds will still turn up and germinate, as they will in gravel.

[FoxLee2]

Thanks Baldric for that link. My husband and I went round to our son's this evening and raked up the bark and picked it up. Better to be safe than sorry.