Jun. 30 (Korea Bizwire) – Aside from controversial harmful effects, one of the positive side effects of e-cigarettes – a popular substitute for conventional cigarettes among smokers – was highlighted in a government report yesterday.

According to the National Fire Agency, the government body responsible for fire prevention measures, fires caused by careless smoking have seen a significant decline over the past year. And this favorable trend seems to be the direct result of the surging popularity of e-cigarettes.

Sure, an increased vigilance towards fire safety following deadly fire accidents in Jecheon and Miryang that killed dozens of people played a huge role in the decline, but a drop in the use of smoking paraphernalia such as cigarettes and lighters thanks to increasing use of e-cigarettes has also contributed to this trend.

The number of fires caused by cigarette butts stood at 5,846 over the year immediately preceding this month (from June 2017 through May 2018), down 14.8 percent compared to the previous year’s 6,861 incidents, according to a report by the NFA.

This is remarkable given that smoking-related fires have witnessed a similar trend over the course of the past five years, with about 6,600 to 6,800 recorded every year.