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Upholstered Furniture Fire Safety Tips
Fires involving upholstered furniture are a leading cause of fire-related deaths associated with consumer products in the United States. In recent years, an annual average of 460 people died and 1,110 were injured when a cigarette or an open flame, such as a candle or lighter, started a furniture fire. Upholstered furniture fires cost an average of $2.75 billion annually in societal costs of deaths, injuries and property damage.
The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission's staff is working on a new mandatory safety standard for the fire resistance of upholstered furniture. The goal of a standard would be to prevent ignition or slow down the spread and reduce the heat of a fire. This would give residents more time to escape a fire, and firefighters and other first responders more time to save lives and property.
Here is what you can do now to keep your family safe:
- Use special care when smoking near upholstered furniture, such as recliners and sofas. Extinguish cigarettes properly when finished.
- Never let children play with matches or cigarette lighters.
- Install smoke alarms on each level of your home and inside each bedroom.
- Never let a candle burn unattended.
- Do not use a space heater or other heat source near upholstered furniture.
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