How Electronic Cigarettes Reduce House Fires
Electronic cigarettes have been promoted over the past several years as safe than traditional tobacco counterparts, and there is positive proof in at least one area. The number of house fires that were caused by e-cigs and vaping units is significantly less than fires caused by traditional tobacco cigarettes.
Fires caused by cigarettes have been an ever-present danger with cigarettes since they act as an ignition source for flammable materials. According to UK government sources, for a 12-month period from 2011 to 2012, the number of house and dwelling fires caused by tobacco materials was 2,673. This is from a smoking population that is estimated to be about 10 million. Of the fires caused by tobacco materials, there were 84 fatalities reported. That is a percentage of 8.4 deaths per million, based on the statistics.
During the same period of time, there were 57 accidental dwelling fires caused by e-cigarette-related materials that caused a single death from an overall population of just over 2 million e-cig users. That’s a percentage of less than .05, based on the statistics.
The e-cig fires were almost all caused by overheated batteries in charging units. This is a relatively rare issue as batteries will generally not overheat in chargers. However, it can happen in certain circumstances, and if flammable materials are nearby, fire can develop.
Lit tobacco sources have always presented a fire danger, mainly when used late at night when the smoker is tired and forgets to put out the cigarette. E-cigs, on the other hand, are quite safe as they do not present a fire danger, only the charging units. By keeping the e-cig chargers in a place away from any flammable materials, the chances for a house fire occurring drop significantly from what was a very low-risk factor in the first place.