Reduced ignition strength makes them extinguish quickly if ignored
According to a recent report released by the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA), 540 civilian deaths in the United States were attributed to smoking material fires in 2011, a 30 year low that is well down from 1980 levels. In 2011, there were an estimated 90,000 smoking material fires resulting in $621 million in direct property damage.
The decline in smoking, the effect of standards and regulations that have made mattresses and upholstered furniture more resistant to cigarette ignition, and more recently, adoption of fire-safe cigarette requirements throughout the country, are factors the report credits with the decrease in smoking material fire deaths over the past 31 years. The long-term trend in smoking material fires is down by 73 percent from 1980 to 2011.