Smoking dangers in focus as house fire injuries soar

Published on Saturday 29 May 2010 11:21

THE number of injuries sustained in house fires has soared over the past year – with more than half of fire deaths due to unattended cigarettes.

Figures released to the Evening News show that 230 people needed hospital treatment in 2009 following blazes in homes across the Capital. This compares with 145 incidents in 2008 and 133 in 2007.

Although many of the injuries were a result of deep fat fryers, hobs and oven fires, blazes caused by cigarettes and unattended candles were responsible for more than 60 injuries.

Of the 12 house fire deaths in Edinburgh since January 2009, at least half were due to cigarettes that had not been extinguished.

In April, John Steele, 62, who was wheelchair-bound, died after he dropped a lit cigarette down his sofa and could not retrieve it.

The Queen's Bay resident's clothes caught fire and he later died in hospital from severe burns.

Stewart Taylor, 47, from Haddington suffered a similar fate when his cigarette set fire to his bed after he fell asleep.

The documents also revealed that Moira Barber, 61, from Morningside, died from a smoking-related fire on 1 March this year. She was also severely disabled.

Figures published two months ago to coincide with No Smoking Day suggested that a third of accidental house fire victims die in blazes started by cigarettes, taking Edinburgh well above the national average.

David Lockhart, community safety manager at Lothian and Borders Fire and Rescue Service, said: "In 2010's figures, it is concerning that in four of the five deaths recorded, smoking materials were identified as a cause.

"We are keen to remind people of the hazards of smoking at home. It is very important that cigarettes are extinguished properly, use water and don't put embers in a plastic bin. Also be aware combining smoking with alcohol heightens the risk."

He added: "It is disappointing that the number of casualties recorded this year is higher than last. We work hard at reducing these cases through our home safety visit programme and community safety work."

Lothian and Borders Fire and Rescue Service attended about 950 house fires between April 2009 and April 2010.

So far this year, about 75 people have been taken to hospital with injuries including severe burns, asphyxiation and breathing difficulties.

The figures show that 625 fires were caused by cooking appliances, 40 by heaters, 181 by cigarettes, 69 by plugs and wires, 130 by candles or matches and two by natural causes, such as lightning.

Other causes included fireworks, electric blankets, irons, batteries, chimneys and hot water systems.

A spokesman for Lothian and Borders Fire and Rescue Service added: "We want to highlight to people that they are at their most vulnerable when they come in from a night out and have consumed alcohol, and then decide to smoke or cook a meal.

"It is all too easy to leave something alight or fall asleep. This is why it is so important for every home in Edinburgh and the Lothians to have a fire alarm."