Bedroom catches fire after 'cigarette not put out'

Firefighters believed a cigarette ember set the sheets alight.

A bedroom was severely smoke damaged after a fire broke out from an unextinguished cigarette.

Essex County Fire and Rescue Service was called to a bungalow in Great Chesterford, near Saffron Walden, at 22:24 GMT on Saturday.

Crews using breathing apparatus entered the house in Stanley Road to extinguish the fire and ventilate the property.

They believed the blaze was caused by a cigarette that caught bedding alight.

Mark Curtis, watch manager at Saffron Walden Fire Station, urged smokers to ensure all cigarettes were properly stubbed out.

"It only takes an ember from a lit cigarette to catch something alight," he said.

“Thankfully, the residents had working smoke alarms which alerted them to the fire.

"They also had the bedroom door closed which helped to prevent the fire and smoke from spreading throughout the property."