WKBT La Crosse, WI-NewsChannel 8-Fire-safe Cigarettes will be Required in Wisconsin

Fire-safe Cigarettes will be Required in Wisconsin

After Wisconsin stores sell all their regular cigarettes, the new law requires they only restock their shelves with fire-safe cigarettes. The cigarettes go out when the smoker sets them down for more than a minute.

The only cigarettes you'll find on Mileage Gas Station's shelves are fire-safe cigarettes.

William Olson has been smoking since 16 years old, and he's not happy about the new law.

"I don't like them. You sit there, you light them up, and if you're doing something and you turn around and they're out," said Olson.

The Fire Department says that's the point since more than 20% of fires start because of unattended smoking materials.

"It's a cigarette that has three bands of paper within the cigarette to help slow down the burning process if the cigarette is left unattended," said Lt. Craig Snyder with the La Crosse Fire Department.

The fire department says damage at an apartment building on 10th street caused about a week ago, was because of a fire likely started by a cigarette.

"The state of New York was the first ones to pass the fire safe cigarettes in 2004, since then they've seen about a 10%-20% steady decrease in fires caused by smoking materials each year," said Lt. Snyder.

Although numbers show the cigarettes help, they're not fool proof.

"Fires can still be caused by cigarettes, this is just one way to slow down that process," Lt. Snyder warned.

Smokers say it's another reason they shouldn't have to buy the new cigarettes.

"These fire safe ones, they still burn," said smoker Garrett Schaitel.

As stores across the state continue to sell out of regular cigaret's, smokers won't have much of a choice.