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This month's spotlight:  Cigarette-Caused Fire Prevention

Fires caused by carelessly disposed smoking material continue to be a leading cause of fires, both inside and outside of the home. A recent study by the Oregon State Fire Marshal’s (OSFM) office indicates that one in every ten fires in Oregon is started by cigarettes.  During 2005-2009, there were almost 6,400 cigarette fires in the State of Oregon, which resulted in 34 deaths, 133 injuries, and an estimated $20 million in property loss.

Additional data from the OSFM office shows that 72% of cigarette fires at residential properties originate outside and nearly one in four of these become structure fires, extending to the inside of homes.  Many times these fires start outside the home on a patio, balcony, or exterior wall and can be traced back to improper disposal of cigarettes. 

Safety and Prevention Tips:

Apartment Occupants

• Do not smoke within 25 feet of the building
• Smoke in areas away from things that burn, such as barkdust landscaping, combustible vegetation, and planters
• Safely dispose of cigarette butts in a non-combustible container filled with water or sand
• Let your housing manager know if you see people disposing  cigarettes on the ground or in planters, or cigarette butts spilling out of ashtrays and containers
• Ask your landlord about no-smoking policies for your apartment complex

Landlords

• Develop guidelines for smoking on your property and enforce them
• Provide designated smoking areas and suitable disposal containers
• Consider no-smoking policies

Everyone

• Remind those who use home oxygen not to smoke
• Take an active role in ensuring smoking material is properly disposed
• Keep matches and lighters away from children
• Test your smoke alarms monthly
• Develop and practice a plan to escape your home


Nationally, cigarette fires in the home are the number one cause of preventable home fire deaths and the risk of dying in a home structure fire caused by smoking materials rises with age. In Oregon, 75% of people who die in cigarette fires are age 50 and older.

For more information on this or other prevention related topics, contact your Salem Fire Department at (503) 588-6245.  Additional information is also available at the Smoke Free Oregon website http://www.smokefreeoregon.com