Sunnyside council bans novelty lighters

SUNNYSIDE -- City council members here Monday passed a ban on novelty lighters.

Novelty lighters are cigarette lighters made to look like toys. Some are shaped like cars, animals or guns.

The fear is that kids will burn themselves or start a fire with the lighters, believing they really are toys.

That’s never happened in Sunnyside, and no one wants it to, said Fire Chief Aaron Markham.

“Our goal is to prevent those type of instances from happening,” he said.

Such accidents have happened across the country, Markham said. He has heard of one woman shooting herself in the hand with a real pistol, believing she had picked up a novelty lighter shaped like a fake pistol.

Firefighting nonprofit groups across the country have been pushing for the ban.

Sunnyside joins the city of Yakima in banning the distribution of novelty lighters.

Sunnyside’s new ordinance will take effect in 60 days, giving the city time to notify retail stores. It also will apply to street vendors at community events such as Cinco de Mayo.

-- Ross Courtney