Cigarette blamed for deadly Kentucky house fire

[onehandle]

LOUISVILLE, Kentucky (AP) -- A cigarette left burning near a chair likely caused the house fire that killed 10 people earlier this month, a top fire official said Thursday, citing an ashtray found nearby.

"The cigarette is our hot energy source," said Rob Goodwin, the chief deputy fire marshal. "It starts building from there."

The victims, four adults and six children in an extended family, all died from smoke inhalation in the February 6 fire in Bardstown. One person survived with non-life threatening injuries.

An ashtray was found near the chair, and the burn pattern indicates that location was the fire's starting point, Goodwin said.

http://www.cnn.com/2007/US/02/15/kentucky.fire.ap/index.html

[diane in sf]

1. It's the chemicals that keep cigarettes smoldering

that help this sort of thing to happen.

[LeighAnn]

2. I smoke American Spirit tobacco - 100% Natural - Flax papers

No additives whatsoever. Unless you draw on the cigarette continuosly, they go out. One cigarette generally lasts me several hours. Regular cigarettes have accelerants that make them "smoke themselves". You set one in an ashtray it will burn and burn and burn. There ought to be a law against the use of accelerants in tobacco products.

[Dora]

3. You are smoking the crack of cigarettes.

I know because I've been there. I sang your song, "no additives, all natural," and smoked pack after pack after pack of the yellows.

Then in summer 2003 I read an article online about research into the amounts of available nicotine in cigarettes. American Spirit blew everyone out of the water. The news made somewhat of a splash at the time. Anyhow, that was the last straw for me and I quit. I understand now that nearly all cigarette manufacturers are trying to increase nicotine levels in tobacco via growing practices. All the same result - more of what it is that makes us want more of what they got - smoke.

Crack, honey. You're smoking crack.

[Lilith Velkor]

4. That's why you just take a puff or two instead of smoking the whole thing

The whole point is to get your nic fix with less damage to the lungs.

And technically, it's insecticide we're smoking. Goddess only knows why she made our brains with receptors for it.