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About Fire-Safe Cigarettes

Fact Sheet

Recent Cigarette Fires and Fire Deaths in NC

NC statistics on fire-related death and injury

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Find out what's happening around the US to prevent cigarette fires

Fire-safe Cigarette Fact Sheet

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What is the magnitude of cigarette-caused fire deaths and injury in North Carolina?

• Cigarettes are the leading cause of deaths from fires in North Carolina. Cigarettes cause 50% of the fires that result in death. An additional 32% of fatal fires are caused by cigarette lighters.

• Cigarettes and cigarette lighters cause nearly 60% of all fire-related injuries to North Carolina residents and nearly 75% of all fire-related injuries to firefighters.

What is the property loss associated with cigarette-caused fires in North Carolina?

• Cigarettes are the leading cause of structure fires in North Carolina. The majority of these fires (79%) occur in people’s homes.

• Property losses due to fires from cigarettes average $1.4 million each year in North Carolina. The amount of property loss increases even more when fires from cigarette lighters and matches are counted.

What is a fire-safe cigarette?

• A fire-safe cigarette is a specially-manufactured cigarette that stops burning when it is left unattended.

What is the expected impact of fire-safe cigarette legislation in North Carolina?

• Use of fire-safe cigarettes could prevent an estimated 50 to 60 deaths from fires each year in North Carolina. This is equivalent to occupants from five school buses that could be saved over the next five years if fire-safe cigarette legislation were passed this year.

Who are the victims of cigarette-caused deaths and injury?

• Victims of fatal cigarette-caused fires are not just the smokers. One out of every four victims dies because of someone else’s cigarette. Of these victims, the smoker’s children most often die.

• Even though older adults (ages 65 and older) smoke at half the rate of younger adults (ages 18 to 64), they are nearly 3½ times more likely to die in a fire caused by cigarettes.

Who else in the United States has passed fire-safe cigarette legislation?

• Legislation in 11 states has either become effective or has passed since 2005. These states (NY, CA, VT, OR, UT, MN, IL, KY, NH, MA, NJ) represent approximately 34% of the U.S. population.

• Legislation has been filed in 19 more states, representing an additional 35% of the country’s population.

What is the fiscal impact of firesafe cigarette legislation?

• Based on New York’s enacted legislation, smokers did not change their smoking behaviors. Monthly cigarette sales did not change significantly, nor did retail cigarette prices and tobacco tax revenues.

For more information, please contact Ernest Grant from the North Carolina Jaycee Burn Center at 919-966-2381.