Discarded cigar causes shed fire

Firefighters have given smoking safety advice after discarded smoking materials caused a shed fire.

Crews were called to a shed fire in Layer de la Haye earlier today and on arrival reported that a shed was 100% alight.

Crews extinguished the fire by 5:33pm and believe a cigar which was not properly stubbed out caused the fire.

The shed was completely destroyed and a nearby summerhouse suffered some smoke damage.

Watch Manager Pete Donovan from Colchester Fire Station said: “Please make sure to properly stub out any smoking materials, especially during this dry weather. We’d also like to advise people to be careful when having bonfires, never leave them unattended and always set them up well away from sheds, fences, trees and bushes etc.”

If you're a smoker or you have a smoker living in your house, make sure you follow our advice to stay safe at home:

• Make sure your all cigarettes are fully extinguished
• Take extra care when you’re tired, taking any sort of drugs or have been drinking alcohol. It’s very easy to fall asleep while your cigarette is still burning
• Never smoke in bed - if you need to lie down, don’t light up. 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
• 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
• Fit and maintain a smoke alarm - a working smoke alarm can buy you valuable time to get out, stay out and call 999