Nebraska lawmakers have voted to advance a bill to require that all cigarettes sold in the state be "fire safe."

Nebraska would join 37 other states with similar laws.

The bill from Senator Arnie Stuthman of Platte Center advanced Thursday to the second round of debate.

So-called fire-safe cigarettes are thicker in two separate spots so they will go out if not puffed when they burn to these areas. The idea is to prevent fires caused when cigarettes are left unattended.

The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission says smoking was the biggest cause of fire-related deaths in the country from 2002-04, the most recent years for which data are available. On average, 630 deaths were caused by smoking-related fires during each of those years.