Ash pile

An ash pile is a de facto object in The Sims 3, primarily resulting from when certain small objects that are set in the game code to disintegrate by a fire, have been on fire for a certain period of time. They are also left behind when a vampire dies by Thirst, as the Sim dries to dust during the death process.
Sims can choose to "Clean Up" the pile, but cannot interact with the piles in any other way.