Wake up to the deadly risk: Smoking is the biggest cause of fire in the home

Smokers are being warned that they must wake up to the deadly dangers of smoking - especially when tired - as Dorset & Wiltshire Fire and Rescue Service part of the Fire Kills campaign, highlights that cigarettes and other smoking products cause just over a third of all accidental fire fatalities in the home.

Smoking is the single biggest cause of accidental fires in the home, often because of careless behaviour such as smoking in bed or not taking care after drinking alcohol.

And when smokers fall asleep with a lit cigarette in hand, their proximity to the resulting fire seriously lowers their chance of making an escape.

Dorset & Wiltshire Fire and Rescue Service is reminding smokers to ‘Put it Out, Right Out’ whenever they light up; to install smoke alarms on every level of the home; and, to test them regularly. Without a working smoke alarm you are at least seven times more likely to die in an accidental fire in the home.

These simple steps can help prevent a cigarette fire in the home:

· Never smoke in bed. Take care when you’re tired – it’s very easy to fall asleep while your cigarette is still burning and set furniture alight

· Never smoke when under the influence of drugs or alcohol. If your lit cigarette starts a fire you could be less able to escape.

· Put it out, right out! Make sure your cigarette is fully extinguished

· Fit a smoke alarm and test it weekly. A working smoke alarm can buy you valuable time to get out, stay out and call 999

· Never leave lit cigarettes, cigars or pipes unattended – they can easily overbalance as they burn down

· Use a proper, heavy ashtray that can’t tip over easily and is made of a material that won’t burn.

Safe and Well Manager Vikki Thomas said: “Every five days, someone dies from a fire caused by cigarettes or smoking materials. Despite a fall in the overall number of fires caused by these products, it’s still the biggest cause of accidental fires in the home across the country.

Every smoker should wake up to the risks they take every time they light up, and drop the habit of smoking whilst in bed or under the influence of alcohol. The risk of falling asleep before you ‘put it out, right out’ is just too great”.