Smoking advice after flat fire
Crews have issued safety advice after a fire at a flat in Thurrock.
We were called to Draper Close today (Sunday 30 March) at 11.21am and crews from Grays (two) and Rayleigh Weir attended.
A neighbour had spotted smoke coming from a second floor balcony and called 999.
Crew Manager Edwards said: "Smoke had filled the flat and crews found a wooden balcony alight. Thanks to the neighbour's actions, we were on scene very quickly; crews led a man to safety and extinguished the fire before it took hold inside the flat.
"We believe a discarded cigarette burnt through a container and set fire to the balcony. The incident is a reminder to make sure cigarettes are completely extinguished before you discard them, and always use sturdy, non-flammable ashtray."
Crews extinguished the fire by 12.08pm. The flat was smoke-damaged and is temporarily uninhabitable.
Advice for staying safe when smoking
- Make sure your discarded cigarette is fully extinguished
- Never smoke in bed
- 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
- Tap your ash into an ashtray, never a wastebasket containing other rubbish, and don’t let the ash or cigarette ends build up
- Use child safe matches or 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
