More people die in fires caused by smoking than in fires with any other single cause.

What To Do

If you smoke, you need to be aware of the fire risks and take steps to avoid them.  Wherever possible you should always smoke outdoors and ask other smokers to do so.  If you cannot go outdoors follow the advice below:

• Never smoke in bed – It’s just too easy to fall asleep. You fall asleep, the cigarette falls from your fingers, the bedclothes start burning and you never wake up because the fumes kill you.
• Never leave a lit cigarette – or a cigar or pipe. They can easily overbalance as they burn down, land on a carpet or newspaper, and start a fire. Never leave a cigarette burning down on the edge of a table of shelf. Make sure the ashtray is heavy, can’t tip over easily, and is made of a material that won’t burn.

For a free Home Safety Check call 0114 253 2314, or text FREE to 87023, or e-mail cfsadmin@syfire.gov.uk.

For help and advice to stop smokeing and details of your free local stop smoking service call NHS Smoking Helpline on 0800 022 4332 or visit the NHS Stop Smoking website.