Vaping sends fire crews racing to pub

Jeremy Dyer will be vaping outside in future. Photo / Christchurch Star / Martin Hunter

Jeremy Dyer will be vaping outside in future.

The Governors Bay Hotel owner learned his lesson the hard way after his e-cigarette sparked two fire call-outs over the past few weeks.

The culprit is a new Type-4 fire alarm system which has proved to be more sensitive than he thought.

"Once you set it off, you get the fire brigade at your door 6 minutes later," Dyer said. "They're extremely efficient."

The first incident happened about two weeks ago at 2am.

The second was on Saturday, December 2.

Lorna Forrester was working in the bar when the alarm went off.

"It was quite funny," she said. "Jeremy was using his vape up in the flat upstairs when the alarm just went off."

Patrons were evacuated and minutes later, two fire trucks from Lyttelton and Governors Bay arrived.

"They were very speedy. We just gave the boys some drinks on the house (once they'd changed into their civvies.)"

Mr Dyer said it was a good trial-run evacuation.

"I think we have a very safe building."

Chief fire officer Andrew Norris said the public should be aware that vaping sparked a similar response to cigarette smoke, although they don't actually produce smoke.

However, this was the
first incident he had heard of where vaping had activated an alarm.

E-cigarettes work by heating a liquid to generate an aerosol,
or vapour, which the user inhales.

An aerosol is a mixture of fine solid particles or liquid droplets, in air or another gas.

Fog, dust and geyser steam are all natural aerosols.