Number of Fires Caused by Cigarettes Down in New Jersey

A recent report on fire safety in the Garden State revealed the number of fires caused by cigarettes has been reduced and lawmakers attribute this to a 2007 law that requires all cigarettes sold in New Jersey be self extinguishing. But what do Fire Officials think?
Washington Township’s Fire Chief John Hoffman had this reaction:
"In reviewing the state of New Jersey statistics that they published in 2008, there were only 6 fire fatalities. The cause being attributed to careless smoking and that says a lot because those numbers used to be much higher in the past. Clearly the legislation that was passed has had a positive effect."
But that being said, Hoffman says you have to keep this data in mind:
"We're seeing a steady decline in actual fires that occur. While the calls for emergencies are steadily increasing, we're seeing a diversity of the kinds of emergencies that occur; flooding emergencies, car crashes."
But Hoffman says fire fighters could use all the help they can get and he's anxious to see if this downward trend in cigarette fires continues in the next couple of years.