Smoking 'to blame' for greatest number of home fire deaths

Smoking causes the greatest number of accidental fire deaths in the home, the Government said tonight.

Work on setting a European standard for fire-safe cigarettes would take about two years to complete, said junior communities and local government minister Baroness Andrews.

She was speaking during a Lords debate on the co-ordination of fire safety and emergency services across the EU.

"The number of deaths caused by smoking is a very acute example of personal responsibility. In 2006, there were 3,168 accidental dwelling fires in the UK started by smoking. It is an extraordinary figure...96 people were killed and 1,146 injured," she said.

"The Government has been instrumental in encouraging the European Commission to look into the case for creating a European standard for fire-safer cigarettes, designed to self-extinguish if left unattended, rather than smoulder down and set things alight.

"We have watched with interest developments of this kind in other countries, particularly in the USA and Canada. In October 2005 Canada became the first country to implement a cigarette fire safety standard.

"Since then, assessments suggest that on the basis of their methodology, we would have had 2,116 fewer fires, so these fire-safe cigarettes work.

"The EU has voted overwhelmingly to create such a standard. By establishing a European standard for fire-safe cigarettes, manufacturers will have to produce cigarettes which meet the EU standard compelled by law.

"We continue to be at the forefront of pushing this forward and expect our work on developing this standard to commence later this year. It will probably take about two years to complete," Lady Andrews said.