This is the time of year when most people in Massachusetts are spending a lot of time outside, beautifying their yards. One of the things we pretty much all use to do this is garden mulch. And as nice as it makes our yards look, did you know that mulch can significantly increase the risk of structure fire? That is... if you don't take the proper precautions.
The Massachusetts Department of Fire Services is always posting fire safety tips, and they recently posted a warning about using mulch improperly.
The Massachusetts Department of Fire Services says that mulch is very combustible, and can catch fire very easily. In fact, one of the precautions that you should follow according to fire officials is to keep mulch at least 18 inches from the structure of your home and from your deck when placing it. It's fairly common for people to not pay attention to this tip.