In-flight fires may be a nightmare, but I've never heard of an airline disaster caused by careless smoking, MOF the smoking ban has probably increased the risk of such an occurrence as SLF try to sneak one and don't have access to an ashtray. Not to mention the fact that every fatal fire in my hometown that is attributed to smoking also involved alcohol- the key here is not the smoking part, it's the carelessness.
Hoverman, it may be true that the militant non-smokers won the day but it wouldn't have happened without the huge bribe to the airlines in the form of dangerously reduced cabin ventilation standards. The air quality on board airliners now is actually worse than it was when smoking was allowed.