Smoking

Cigarettes, lighters and matches are the biggest killers in accidental fires in the home. Read on for fire safety tips to help prevent fires starting this way.

Studies in London have shown that they cause up to half of all fatal house fires and are the second biggest cause of injury. In London alone, smokers' materials caused 584 fires involving 12 deaths and 202 injuries in 2002.

Cigarette fires often happen at night after people have gone to bed. People are more relaxed in the evening and may have had a few drinks or be tired. It's important to remember that one final check could save you and your family's lives.

Seven ways to be safer:

• Never smoke in bed
• Always use a proper ashtray and make sure it can't be knocked over
• Never leave a lit cigarette around
• Take special care when you're tired or when you've been drinking
• Keep matches and lighters away from children
• Fit a smoke alarm that complies with the British Standard or equivalent international standard. Test it once a week and change the battery once a year
• Visit http://www.firekills.gov.uk/ to find out more about making your home safer

If you would like help to stop smoking, call the NHS Stop Smoking Helpline on FREEPHONE 0800 169 0 169.

How careless smoking kills:

• A cigarette burns at 700°C
• Fires started by cigarettes kill more people than any other kind of fire
• Every three days someone in the UK dies because of a cigarette fire
• 800 injuries each year occur as a result of fires caused by smoking
• Households with a smoker are almost one and a half times more likely to suffer a fire than non-smoking households
• Smokers are almost one and a half times less likely to own a smoke alarm
• The highest injury rate in smoking material fires is among young people (25 to 34 year olds)

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