Smoking and Fire Safety

Every year, almost 1,000 smokers and non-smokers are killed in home fires caused by cigarettes and other smoking materials. The U.S. Fire Administration is working to help prevent home fire deaths and injuries caused by smoking materials. Fires caused by cigarettes and other smoking materials are preventable. You can make a difference!

If you smoke or live with someone who smokes, learn the facts. A lit cigarette accidentally dropped onto a chair or bed, or hot cigarette ashes or matches tossed away before they are completely out, can cause a large fire in seconds.

Putting out a cigarette the right way only takes seconds, too. It is up to you to make sure your cigarette is put out, all the way, every time.

One-in-four people killed in home fires is not the smoker whose cigarette caused the fire.

• More than one third were children of the smokers.
• Twenty-five percent were neighbors or friends of the smokers.

Smoking & Home Fire Action Steps

• If you smoke, smoke outside.
• Wherever you smoke, use deep, sturdy ashtrays.
• Make sure cigarettes and ashes are out.
• Check for cigarette butts.
• Never smoke in a home where oxygen is used.
• If you smoke, fire-safe cigarettes are better.
• Be alert!