Shocking Facts about Smoking and Fires
In the United States alone more than one thousand people (men, women and children) killed in house fires started by smoking each year. Sadly around thirty-five percent of the dead are children, and a shocking twenty-five percent were friends or neighbors. That means hundreds of innocent people die each year because someone was smoking and was also careless.
It is interesting to also note the heavy influence that smokers have on their children. Consider that the offspring of regular smokers are twice as likely to pick up the habit as the children of non-smokers. Many of these children keep their habit a secret for as long as possible, and this too is a common cause of deadly house fires.
Let’s look again at the statistics for a bit of proof – most of the home fires started by smoking or cigarettes begin on beds, furniture or in trash receptacles. This implies that smokers, or their children who are hiding the habit, discarded of their “butts” in a way that could lead to trouble. It also means that the people closest to the origin of the fire are harder to save because such fires tend to spread quickly.
Imagine the time it would take for a cigarette to start a fire on an area like a hardwood floor…now imagine the same cigarette hastily tossed into a teenagers waste bin. Obviously the two scenarios would lead to dramatically different results, and makes it plain why smokers should consider the many effects of their habit.
If you are a smoker, but you don’t want to quit, it is important that you accept the responsibility of protecting your children, spouse, and neighbors from the possible risks of your choice. For example, you must make sure that you have ample numbers of ashtrays in stable and safe locations all around the home. You should also keep a can full of sand anywhere outside of your home where you frequently smoke, and make sure to always put your finished butts in these locations.
If you are going to dispose of a cigarette in a traditional garbage can you must be sure that it is fully extinguished, and dousing it with a blast of water is a good way to prevent a flare up within the trash can too.
It is important to also follow one of the fundamental rules of smoking, which is to never smoke in bed, or while over fatigued. Both scenarios lead to the smoker falling asleep with a lit cigarette, which in turn can lead to a deadly and catastrophic fire.
