Wales: Discarded Cigarette Caused House Fire

Main Category: Smoking / Quit Smoking
Article Date: 23 Jan 2008 - 2:00 PDT

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Fires caused by a discarded cigarette threatened the lives of an elderly women over the weekend. A woman fell asleep at her home in Cysgodfa and the cigarette set her chair ablaze on Saturday evening.

Smoke detectors activated an automatic connection to Careline. In the meantime, the woman woke and managed to put the fire out with a bucket of water. An ambulance was called as a precaution and she was given oxygen.

Tony Matthews, Fire and Safety Enforcement Officer, said the elderly were at a greater risk and need more protection. "This sort of thing is happening all too often and as we have witnessed in recent months can lead to unnecessary fatalities," he said yesterday. "By now everyone should be aware that if you smoke you need to take extra care with smoking materials - ensure that cigarettes are put right out and never left unattended."

http://www.ash.org.uk

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