House fire caused by cigarette

A house fire in Stone this morning (20th February) started when a discarded cigarette set bedding alight.

Firefighters from Stone, Stafford, Rising Brook and Longton attended the house fire on Redhill Gardens just after 9am this morning. A mother and daughter were home at the time of the fire and called the fire service before getting out of the property.

Firefighters wearing breathing apparatus used one hose reel jet to extinguish the fire, which broke out in a first floor bedroom. There were no smoke alarms fitted in the property.

Station manager Phil Smith said: “Luckily the daughter spotted the fire when she went upstairs. As there were no smoke alarms in the property the fire could have gone unnoticed for some time.

“The woman said she had been smoking in bed and then gone downstairs to make a drink. We found an ashtray extremely close to the bed, so we believe the discarded cigarette had been placed too close to the bedding material which then caught fire.

“The bedroom has been badly damaged in the fire and the first floor of the property was heavily smoke logged. We would urge smokers to ensure they always discard of cigarettes appropriately and consider where they keep their ashtrays.

“We would also question why there are still people in Staffordshire with no smoke alarms as there really is no excuse given that we will provide and fit them free of charge as part of a free Home Fire Risk Check. The checks are available to any Staffordshire resident, simply call 0800 0241 999 and book your appointment at a mutually convenient time and date.”