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Safety tips if you smoke

• never smoke in bed - it's very easy to fall asleep and allow your cigarette to set light to your bedclothes or furnishings
• don’t smoke if you’re drowsy - especially if you're sitting in a comfortable chair or if you've been drinking or taking prescription drugs; again, it’s easy to fall asleep
• don’t leave a lit cigarette (or cigar or pipe) – they can easily overbalance and land on the carpet or other flammable material; and make sure your ashtray is heavy and can’t tip easily
• make totally sure that your butts (and any remains in your pipe bowl) aren’t still smouldering when you’ve finished with them; wet them and empty your ashtray into a metal bin outside the house
• keep lighters, matches and smoking materials out of the reach of children – you can also buy child-resistant lighters and containers for matches

Case study

In 2001, Victoria Pearse was 21 years old and in her final year at university. One night, she came home from an evening out and stayed up chatting with a friend. When he left, she fell asleep wrapped in a duvet on the sofa. Unknown to her, a cigarette end was still smouldering. The sofa began to burn and the room silently filled with smoke.

Victoria was woken by the heat of the fire, but the toxic fumes disorientated her and she collapsed. It was not until the next morning that the alarm was raised. The fire was relatively small, but it was enough to kill a 21-year-old.

More about fire safety in the home

• Fire safety in the home - an introduction
• Kitchen safety
• Candle safety
• Electrical safety