Articles and Links
Smoking-caused Fires in
Illinois, United States
August 26, 2016
I will post articles and links as I find them (this can mean daily or frequently during the day).
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Alton
Aurora
Benton

Bethalto
Bloomington
Caseyville

Chicago
Deerfield
Henry

McLean County
Ottawa

Alton

11/28/15

Fire destroys apartment: Cigarette thought to be cause of blaze in historic Alton building The Telegraph A fire, likely caused by an unwatched cigarette, destroyed an apartment in a historic Alton building and heavily damaged two other single-bedroom units Saturday morning.

Aurora

8/2/12 Cigarette tossed in dry grass cited as cause of Aurora house fire The Beacon News Fire officials said Friday that a discarded cigarette thrown in the dry grass in the home’s back yard sparked a grass fire which spread to bushes and then spread to the rear of the home.

Benton

12/18/12 Smoking identified as cause of fatal fire DailyAmericamNews.com Benton fire chief Gary Kasper said smoking was the cause of the Dec. 13 fire that claimed the life of Joni Rae Ziegler, 56.
Cigarette blamed in deadly southern Ill. blaze KWQC.com A fire official says a house fire that killed a woman in the southern Illinois city of Benton was sparked by a lighted cigarette.

Bethalto

4/12/13 Cigarette-smoking man burned while using oxygen WTHI TV 10 A southwestern Illinois fire chief says a man sustained facial and head burns when a cigarette he was smoking ignited oxygen from a tank he was using as a breathing aid.

Bloomington

9/19/14 McLean County Coroner warns of smoking on oxygen Northwest Herald The McLean County Coroner's office is citing two recent deaths in warning residents about the dangers of smoking and using oxygen tanks simultaneously.
09/14 (This link is no longer working) Coroner: Smoking with home oxygen machines led to deaths Bloomington (IL) Pantagraph

Caseyville

1/11/13 Infant severely burned after grandmother removes oxygen mask, lights cigarette KMOV.com A 2-month-old girl was hospitalized after a fire believed to be started by a cigarette started inside a Caseyville mobile home Friday morning.

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Chicago

4/4/16 Cause of fatal fire: 'Careless use of smoking materials' Chicago Tribune A weekend fire that left a 63-year-old man dead and a firefighter seriously hurt was started by the "careless use of smoking materials" that set a mattress on fire, officials said.
10/25/13 Small Number of E-Cigarette Batteries Explode NBCChicago.com A small number of consumer reports from across the country detail exploding e-cigs that launch out of their chargers, leading to fires and injury.
10/1/13 Man catches on fire, dies while smoking at nursing home Tampa Bay WTSP.com A man smoking a cigarette at a nursing home in Chicago catches on fire.
3/21/12 10 acres burned by fire caused by smoking materials Chicago Sun-Times The fire was stopped in these areas, but because of the dry, long grasses present in the area, it began to burn back into the wind and in a crosswind direction back toward homes along Brentwood Drive on the north side of the forest preserve.
1/26/12 Man dies while smoking and using oxygen tank in bed WLSAM.com A 57-year-old man died Wednesday morning after his bed caught on fire while he was smoking and using an oxygen tank in the Little Village neighborhood.

Deerfield

8/26/13 Deerfield fire linked to smoking spurs safety warning from fire officials Chicago Tribune After a recent fire linked to smoking materials caused $100,000 in damage, Deerfield fire officials are reminding people that many resources are available to protect life and property from such occurrences.

Henry

2/18/16 Smoking near oxygen tanks was cause of explosion at Henry housing complex pjstar.com Resident Dennis Sill had been smoking while watching television, and his couch was set on fire, Steele said.

McLean County

Ottawa

10/31/12 'Misuse of smoking materials' blamed for fatal South Side fire MyWebTimes.com "The cause of the fire seems to be misuse of smoking materials."

"But now God has shown us a different way to heaven - not by "being good enough" and trying to keep his laws, but by a new way (though not new, really, for the Scriptures told about it long ago). Now God says he will accept and acquit us - declare us "not guilty" - if we trust Jesus Christ to take away our sins. And we all can be saved in this same way, by coming to Christ, no matter who we are or what we have been like. Yes, all have sinned; all fall short of God's glorious ideal; yet now God declares us "not guilty" of offending him if we trust in Jesus Christ, who in his kindness freely takes away our sins." Romans 3:21-24 Living Bible