Smoking is the number one cause of fatal home fires in Ontario. Many of these fires happen because alcohol or drugs were involved, making it harder for people to stay alert.

Staying alert and safe

Fire safety requires staying awake and aware of the surroundings.

  • Stay alert: do not smoke when feeling sleepy or after using alcohol, drugs or medicine that causes drowsiness.
  • Never smoke in bed: it is easy to fall asleep and start a fire that spreads to the mattress or blankets.
  • Smoke outside: the safest place to smoke is outdoors. Encourage guests to smoke outside as well.
  • Check the furniture: before going to bed, check behind chair and sofa cushions for cigarette butts. Sofas and chairs can burn very fast.

Using ashtrays and disposing of waste

How cigarettes are put out and thrown away is very important for fire prevention.

  • Use the right ashtray: use large, deep ashtrays that are heavy and cannot be knocked over easily.
  • Never put out cigarettes in plant pots: the soil often contains peat moss, wood and bark that can catch fire.
  • Empty ashtrays safely: put ashes and cigarette butts into a metal container with a lid instead of a garbage can.
  • Store waste outside: keep the metal ash container outdoors away from the home.
  • Never toss butts off a balcony: if you live in an apartment or condo building, tossing a cigarette butt off a balcony easily ignite materials on lower balconies, putting the building at serious risk of fire.