THE Chief Fire Officer of Lancashire, Peter Holland, today welcomed the Commons vote to introduce a ban on smoking in public places.
And he said he hoped the ban would have a knock-on effect of cutting the number of house fires.
He said: "The ban on smoking in public places will be mirrored in Lancashire by a major drive to reduce the number of fires in the home, where smoking has been the most common cause. A smouldering cigarette is the biggest cause of fatal fires, causing one third of all deaths from fires in the home.
"The Commons vote is most certainly a significant development as a contribution to fire safety, irrespective of the beneficial effects on the health of people encouraged to give up smoking, or the consequences of passive smoking on those who work, or take their leisure, in places where people smoke."
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