Many things in your home can catch on fire if they touch a flame or something hot like a dropped cigarette. Proper use of candles, matches, lighters and smoking materials can lessen the risk of fire hazards.
Pick a safe place
- Never use candles in your bedroom or bathroom.
- Keep pets and children away from lit candles.
Candle Safety
- Always blow candles out before you leave a room, not just when you are leaving your unit.
- A good way to make sure candles are fully out, is to wet the wicks.
- Consider using battery-operated flameless candles.
Make some room
- Candles should be in a sturdy, safe candle holder that will not burn or tip over.
- Keep candles at least 12 inches (30 cm) away from anything that can burn. This includes flammable decorations or displays, furniture, and more.
Keep up and away
- Teach children that matches and lighters are not toys. Let them know that if they find smoking materials, they should give them to an adult right away.
- At home, keep cigarettes, lighters, matches and cigarettes out of reach of children and locked away.
Smoking Safety
- Careless smoking is the leading cause of fire deaths. We feel safest at home, but home is where most smoking-related fires, deaths and injuries occur. A dropped cigarette can smolder for hours before bursting into flames.
- Prevent fires caused by careless smoking
- If you smoke, use only fire-safe cigarettes, and always smoke outside. Most deaths result from fires that started in living rooms, family rooms, dens or bedrooms.
- Never throw cigarette butts from a balcony. Fires on balconies are much more dangerous than those inside the building.
- Never smoke in bed or when drowsy, intoxicated or medicated.
- Keep cigarettes, lighters, matches and other smoking materials up high out of the reach of children, in a locked cabinet.
- Make sure lighters have child-resistant safety features.
- Teach young children that lighters and matches are not toys, and not to touch them.
- Never allow anyone to smoke if there is medical oxygen being used.
Put it out
- Use a deep, sturdy ashtray. Place it away from anything that can burn.
- Don't let ashtrays become so full that hot ashes might spill over the side.
- Soak butts and ashes with water before throwing them in the garbage.
- Do not discard cigarettes in vegetation such as mulch, potted plants or landscaping, peat moss, dried grasses, leaves or other things that could ignite easily.
E-cigarettes
- Myths about E-cigarettes not being a fire hazard are false.
- Fires have occurred while e-cigarettes were being used, the battery was being charged or the device was being transported.
- Battery failures have led to small explosions.
- Never leave charging e-cigarettes unattended.
