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 ‘Fire safe’ cigarettes have hit the shelves in Minnesota, complying with a new state law going into effect on Dec. 1.
The new law requires all cigarettes sold in our state to be ‘fire safe,’ meaning the cigarette self-extinguishes if left unattended too long. The most common fire-safe technology used by cigarette manufacturers is to wrap the cigarette in three thin bands of less porous paper that act as ‘speed bumps’ that make the burning of the tobacco slow down and eventually, go out.
The Minnesota State Fire Chiefs Association said the law is the important fire-prevention legislation passed in more than 30 years.
Officials said unattended cigarettes are responsible for 25 percent of all fire deaths, making cigarettes the leading cause of home fire fatalities in the United States. In fact, fires started by cigarettes kill 700 to 900 people every year nationwide.
Minnesota joins New York, Vermont, California, Illinois, New Hampshire, and Massachusetts in adopting ‘fire safe’ laws.
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