Family left homeless after discarded cigarette causes fire

Firefighters are urging smokers to discard of smoking materials properly after a discarded cigarette left a family homeless after a fire in Epping yesterday.

Crews were called to Ivy Chimneys, Epping at 4:42pm.

On arrival, firefighters reported that a house was heavily smoke logged and there was a fire outside spreading into the kitchen.

Crews extinguished the fire by 5:49pm and believe it was caused by a discarded cigarette.

Watch Manager Jason Whitbread from Epping Fire Station said: “If you’re a smoker, please make sure to properly discard of smoking materials. Double check they are definitely stubbed out before leaving them as it only takes a small ember to catch nearby materials alight.”

This month is the National Fire Chiefs Council's smoking safety campaign.

More people die in house fires caused by cigarettes and smoking products than any other cause.

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

• Make sure your all smoking materials 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