One cigarette can do a world of damage

I saw a killer in action last week.
I saw a driver toss a burning cigarette.
When Texas is windy and tinderbox-dry, any spark can burn a town, taking with it homes, dreams and, sometimes, firefighters' lives.
The cigarette landed just shy of grass. It could have easily flared up like in Fort Davis, or near Possum Kingdom Lake, or near Gorman.
If that driver had waved a loaded gun, police could have arrested him.
But in Texas, the punishment for tossing a lit cigarette is only a littering ticket.
That's not enough.
Lubbock fire officials are already cracking down. With West Texas and the South Plains burning around them, they warned last week that anyone carelessly tossing a cigarette that starts a fire might face trial on an arson charge, a state jail felony punishable by up to two years in prison and a $10,000 fine.
"A guy flicked a cigarette in front of me the other day, and it exploded in sparks," Deputy Chief Chris Angerer said.
"I couldn't believe someone would toss out a burning object."
Two weeks ago, he said, a reckless smoker started a fire that burned a fast-food restaurant.
Nobody died. But Lubbock firefighters risked their lives. Workers lost jobs. The city will lose tax money while the restaurant rebuilds.
Humans start 9 in 10 wildfires, according to the Texas Forest Service.
Texas' arson law includes felony punishment for anyone whose cigarette recklessly sets fire to a building or injures anyone.
That is, if prosecutors can find who tossed the cigarette.
Tossed cigarettes aren't simply a fire risk. They're expensive.
The Texas Department of Transportation has campaigned against cigarette litter through its "Don't Mess With Texas" campaign.
About half of Texas' litter involves cigarettes, wrappers, cigars or matches, according to the department.
Cleanup cost: $23 million a year.
Doris Howdeshell of the department is retiring after 32 years, including 23 with "Mess."
"People don't realize a cigarette can cost somebody their house and everything they own," she said.
She knows.
A cousin lost her home last week near Snyder.
"Even if they don't start fires, the cigarettes wash into our water," she said.
"I just cannot believe anyone would throw out a lit cigarette."