Smoker burns down another house, this time in Fields Corner

Porches don't catch on fire by themselves - they catch on fire because jackasses who pollute their body with cancerous chemicals smoke on porches. Our neighbor smokes nearly every night on his back porch and even with the windows closed, the stench seeps in. In the summer, it's completely disgusting.

How many fires will it take before smoking in shared housing situations is banned? Nobody should have their life endangered, lose their home, and all their belongings, because of a smoker.

From my days years ago working for a large, mutual insurance company in underwriting, I am aware that many people are not aware that if the activity of another tenant results in either (a) the loss of property and/or (b) the loss of life or damage to life, both the landlord and the tenant involved in activity are liable and can and should be sued. The landlord very most likely has insurance and if the tenant who was smoking has apartment insurance, than the insurance companies will very eagerly settle out of court. Ultimately, if a smoker in the building where you rent/lease causes a fire and that's the report that comes out of the fire department, than both the smoker and landlord are liable. You can sue for payment through any existing insurance policies, as well as personal wealth for landlord and smoker.

A landlord has a very heavy liability burden when it comes to the safety of his/her property, and ascertaining tenants are not engaging in activity which can cause bodily harm or harm to property of other tenants falls under the small print of that liability burden. EVEN if tenants sign a lease that specifically states smoking is allowed on the property by tenants (and it's unlikely a lease includes that because a landlord would be completely foolish to put that in writing because of said liability), fire started by a cigarette has a liability guarantee built-in. Obviously the smoker was careless - thus the liability. A landlord has the legal responsibility of ascertaining no activity takes place at the property which may harm body or property of other tenants.

So, to any tenant who ever finds themselves in a situation like this, hire a lawyer - there are many who will do the work with no payment with the 1/3 of claim pay out agreement - and file suit. If MORE people sue in these situations, we'll see a quicker move toward NO SMOKING IN BUILDINGS by landlords and management companies and these same people will take great care to be sure the rules are followed.

As for smokers, yes, it's your right to do what you want to your body, but be real about that and find a place to smoke where ONLY YOU will suffer the consequences. I feel so bad for these poor children of smokers or children with adult caretakers or relatives who subject them to second and third hand smoke in cars and homes and even simply standing next to them or in the vicinity outdoors. That's the epitome of selfishness. That smoke on your jacket or in your hair besides being gross smelling is full of carcinogens which get into the air and on to furniture where your children are sucking it into their lungs or ingesting it.

And for all you mommy and daddy wannabes, consider this: You are harming your eggs and genetic material so yeah, you are already setting your future children up to be less than stellar. And sure, tell yourself that "some day" I'll quit and my lungs will heal. But the medical fact is, each time you smoke, you smoke damage every inch of your body and organs and tissue will never recover from a lack of oxygen and the carcinogens which are altering the cellular health of your heart and liver and skin and etc. won't "heal". Quit while you are still alive - meaning still in a state of life that doesn't require you to chop off a leg or get a liver transplant or pile on an inch of cake make up because your oxygen-deprived skin looks like wet sandpaper.

I've always liked the idea of "smoke huts". Build one. No windows. No ventilation. Just you and the carcinogens. Go in there and smoke and exercise your rights.

Please, smokers, don' t reply with your argument about "sugary food" and "coffee". Statistically, medically, factoid driven: It's apples and oranges. And when someone eats a bar of chocolate, there's no cancer-causing chemicals filling the air.

And while I'm on my soapbox, one more thought that hopefully will reach someone out there and encourage them to quit: My child, who has never been near anyone who smokes and was raised to cover his mouth and stop breathing when forced to walk by someone smoking, will always be healthier than your child and outright statistically live an economically and socially and healthier lifestyle than your child. Get competitive people! Don't you want your child to have the same advantages of my child? Or maybe it doesn't matter to you. Maybe your smoking is more important.

If nothing else smokers-out-there, do it for your kids.

Sure, the landlord is responsible for implementing rules against smoking either inside or within the general vicinity of his/her rental property, but tenants, too, have to take responsibility and use common sense, especially when they're renting in what's obviously a very old building, and also have other tenants living right near them, whether they be next door, or on floors either above or below them. What the hell is wrong with people that they're so irresponsible that they insist on smoking inside their place of residence, are careless, and end up making other people suffer or put their lives in danger as a consequence of their stupid-assed behavior? There seems to be little or no accountability these days for actions and behaviors, which is a huge problem.

A guy I'd grown up going to school with, who'd taken to the bottle full-time after high school ended up burning his own house down, and didn't even remember whether the fire had been caused by a cigarette or a space heater. He'd obviously been smoking in bed in a state of drunkenness, and burned his own house down that way. Sure, he'd built that house with his own hands, and was in the process of re-building it at the time of our 20th-year high school reunion, but that sure didn't excuse the fact that he could've endangered or taken the lives of everybody near him, including his own.

The lack of responsibility on the part of people never fails to astound.