Smoking

Forty per cent of deaths caused by fires in the home are caused by cigarettes, cigars or tobacco. In fact, households with a smoker are almost one and a half times more likely to suffer a fire than non-smoking households.

Safety tips

• Make sure your cigarette, cigar or pipe is out when you’ve finished smoking it.
• Never leave lit cigarettes, cigars or pipes unattended – they can easily overbalance as they burn down, land on a carpet or newspaper and start a fire.
• Take extra care when you’re tired, have been drinking alcohol or taking medication that can make you drowsy. It’s very easy to fall asleep without realising that your cigarette is still burning.
• Never smoke in bed – if you need to lie down, don’t light up. You could doze off and set your bed on fire.
• Always use a proper, heavy ashtray that won’t tip over easily and is made of a material that won’t burn.
• Never tip ash into a wastebasket.
• Empty ashtrays frequently – wet the contents before emptying them into a metal bin outside the home.
• Keep all matches and lighters out of the reach of children. Use only one lighter/box of matches at a time so you will notice straight away if it goes missing. Where possible buy child-resistant lighters and matchboxes.

Quit smoking

If you would like to quit smoking, call the NHS Stop Smoking Helpline on 0800 1690169 or visit the Go Smoke Free website.