Cigarette causes fire in Grays

Firefighters were called to a property in Thurrock earlier today, when passers-by alerted a resident to a fire at the rear of their home.

Crews were called to Blackshots Lane, Grays, at 11:14am, after a young male was made aware of a fire at the back of his home by passers-by.

On arrival, firefighters confirmed there was a fire at the rear of the property. The fire had started outside and quickly spread to the rear door and fascias, and had started to spread into the kitchen which was heavily smoke-logged.

Crews worked hard to extinguish the fire, and cleared the property of smoke by 11:49am. They also fitted two smoke alarms before leaving.

Watch Manager at Grays, Gary Bannister, said: “I really want to praise the crews from Grays, who acted quickly to prevent further damage to the property.”

The fire is thought to have been caused by a cigarette, which was discarded near some rubbish, outside. After a short time, the cigarette re-ingnited and set the rubbish on fire, which quickly spread to the back door and fascias.

If you smoke at home:

• Make sure your all cigarettes are fully extinguished.
• Never smoke in bed - you could doze off and set your bed on fire.
• Never leave lit cigarettes unattended - they can easily overbalance as they burn down.
• Use a proper, heavy ashtray that can’t tip over easily and is made of a material that won’t burn. Make sure your cigarette is fully extinguished before leaving the room.
• Tap your ash into an ashtray, never a wastebasket containing other rubbish – and don’t let the ash or cigarette ends build up in the ashtray.
• Use child safe matches and cigarette lighters and keep them safely out of the reach of children

Do you have working smoke alarms in your home?

Smoke alarms save lives. They can alert your family as well as your neighbours and passers-by to a fire in your home if you're not home.

We recommend you have at least one working smoke alarm on every level of your home and that you test them at least once a month.

If you or someone you know doesn’t have working smoke alarms, please get in touch. Visit essex-fire.gov.uk/book or call 0300 303 0088.