SA smokers drive spike in house fires

Lighting up in bed may seem like an intuitively bad idea but South Australian smokers aren't getting the message.

Emergency Services Minister Tony Piccolo says SA firefighters have battled more than 500 cigarette-related house blazes in the past three years.

And SA is on track to double its average number of cigarette-related house fires this year, with 47 recorded in just eight weeks.

The most common causes are people falling asleep while smoking in bed and failing to fully extinguish cigarettes.

Smokers are also risking their lives by de-activating smoke alarms.

Metropolitan Fire Service spokesman Greg Howard urged smokers not to light up in bed, to use deep, sturdy ashtrays and get rid of ashes on a regular basis.