Tyneside resident's 'lucky escape' after cigarette fire

The fire service said the owner had a lucky escape

A householder had a "lucky escape" when their home was damaged in a fire thought to have been caused by a single cigarette.

The flames spread from the garden room into the loft at the property in North Shields on Sunday, Tyne and Wear Fire Rescue Service (TWFRS) said.

No injuries were reported.

The blaze was the third house fire in a week that TWFRS has tackled after two others escalated when attempts were made to extinguish them.

There was extensive damage to the loft

Three crews from Tynemouth and Wallsend Community Fire Stations were on the scene for around 40 minutes tackling the blaze, which happened just before 12:00 GMT.

A TWFRS spokesperson said: "Luckily, nobody was seriously injured during the incident as the resident had managed to get out before our firefighters arrived.

"The crews also administered 'safe and well' checks on the property and neighbouring homes to ensure they had appropriate smoke alarms and fire safety advice."

TWFRS has urged people to ensure cigarettes are fully out when discarding them.

The home in North Shields was damaged

Earlier this week, the fire service warned people not to tackle flames themselves after two other house fires.

The flames became more intense when water was thrown on oil in a pan in Newcastle and on a fuse box in Killingworth, North Tyneside.