Unintentional residential fires caused by smoking-related materials: Who is at risk?

Publication date: June 2017
Source:Fire Safety Journal, Volume 90
Author(s): Lin Xiong, Dorothy Bruck, Michelle Ball
Discarded cigarettes have been reported consistently as the leading cause of unintentional residential fire deaths; however, little is known about the risk factors of unintentional residential fires caused by smoking-related materials (i.e. smoking material fires, SMFs). Detailed data was coded from coronial files and this study focused on the 215 unintentional residential fires in the database which involved only single fatalities, with eighty-five of these being SMFs. This study is unique in using odds ratio (OR) analyses to investigate the size and relative importance of risk factors associated with SMFs. Seven out of 17 variables tested were significantly associated with SMFs compared to Non-SMFs, including being asleep (OR =15.37), bedroom/ lounge room being the room of fire origin (OR =10.29), alcohol intake (OR =3.42), psychotropic and sedative drugs intake (OR =3.35), mental illness (OR =3.18), being aged between 18 and 65 (OR =2.57), and being male (OR =1.81). Tests for mediation effect of alcohol intake and being asleep further clarify the nature of the relationship between age group and SMFs. Results revealed that individuals who had died in SMFs were more likely to present with multiple impairments compared to those who had died in non-SMFs. Further, significant associations between mental illness, psychotropic and sedative drug intake and the risk of SMFs were found. The comparative role of these risk factors provides an evidence-base for SMF prevention programs.



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