In states with fewer smokers, fewer fires

ATLANTA, Aug. 8 (UPI) -- U.S. home fire deaths are higher in states that have a greater percentage of smokers, federal health officials said.

The report by the Centers for Disease Control said that nationally an estimated 21 percent of adults smoked in 2004, with state averages ranging from 11 percent in Utah to 28 percent in Kentucky. In 2004, an estimated 2,804 individuals died in home fires, or nearly one death per 100,000 people in the United States, the report said.

"Even modest reductions in overall smoking rates may save lives -- quitting smoking is the most important step smokers can take to improve their overall health and that of their loved ones," Shane Diekman of the CDC said in a statement.

"People who do smoke should smoke outside the house to help protect themselves and their families from home fires and exposure to secondhand smoke, a known human carcinogen."

People who continue to smoke can reduce the risk of indoor fires by adopting smoke-free home rules; using deep, sturdy ashtrays securely set on tables; dousing cigarette and cigar butts in water or extinguishing with sand before dumping in the trash; and never smoking in bed or leaving burning cigarettes unattended, the study said.

The study is published in the journal Injury Prevention.