Lights Out For Novelty Lighters In New London

NEW LONDON (AP) — It’s lights out for novelty cigarette lighters in New London.

The City Council approved an ordinance this week banning retailers within city limits from selling novelty lighters that resemble toys, guns, or other items that might appear entertaining to children.

Violators could face a $100 fine when the ordinance goes into effect December 17. It also bans people from giving the novelty lighters as gifts within city limits.

Fire Chief Ronald Samul, who requested the ordinance, said banning the novelty lighters may help curb the number of fires started by juveniles. Fire prevention experts say children often mistake them for toys and play with them, not understanding how dangerous they are.

Municipalities in California, Texas, Washington, and Arkansas have passed similar bans.

The National Fire Protection Agency, the National Volunteer Fire Council, and the National Association of State Fire Marshals support the effort to curb the sale and distribution of the lighters, Samul said.

US Senator Christopher Dodd and other senators have also proposed a national ban. A spokesman for Dodd’s office says Dodd plans to reintroduce the legislation to Congress in January.

“We congratulate New London for this. It’s on the cutting edge of what we’re trying to do,” said Bryan DeAngelis, a Dodd spokesman.

New London is believed to be among the first municipalities in Connecticut to adopt such an ordinance, he said.

A national ban would require the Consumer Product Safety Commission to treat novelty lighters as a banned hazardous substance. That would prohibit the manufacture, importation, or sale of the lighters anywhere in the country.

In March, Maine became the first state to outlaw lighters attractive to children.

That came after a 6-year-old shopping with his mother singed his eyebrows and burned part of his face after flicking open a lighter in the shape of a baseball bat.