Borough house fires sparked by cigarettes as fire chiefs report rise

It comes after two fires were sparked by homeowners carelessly discarding cigarettes in Ashton and Leigh overnight.

And with people spending more time in their homes and gardens during the lockdown, it has meant more opportunities for smoking at home.

Fire crews are now warning of the dangers of not discarding cigarettes properly.

The fire in Grasmere Drive, Ashton, started at 1am today (April 20) after a person chucked a cigarette out of an upstairs window, causing plastic drainage to set on fire.

Wigan fire station watch manager Carl Gleaves said flames spread to the base of the property and could easily have engulfed the house if fire crews hadn't arrived when they did.

Luckily, a sleeping young family of four were alerted by fire crews who had been tipped off by a neighbour, and managed to escape unharmed.

Crews were able to put the fire out within an hour.

Mr Gleaves said: "We sent two fire crews from Wigan and one from Hindley to this fire.

"We'd got a phone call saying the base of the property was well-alight.

"On arrival, we saw a relatively new built property that had a brick driveway and a drainage facility with a plastic draining gate.

"The occupant had carelessly discarded a cigarette which had fallen into the drains and set them on fire."

He said the family had been "extremely lucky" and that the fire "could have been a lot worse."

He said: "The drainage was round the front and side of the property and the base of it was well alight. The front window had also cracked and the plastic around it had melted.

"There was a young family of four in the house, a mum and three children, and there were no working smoke alarms.

"They are extremely lucky as the fire could have spread into the house and they were asleep at the time and we'd been alerted by a neighbour.

"We managed to wake them up when we got there thankfully but it could have been a lot worse."

Mr Gleaves went on to warn people about the importance of discarding cigarettes properly and having a working smoke alarm.

He said: "People need to dispose of cigarettes in an appropriate manner and don't put their ashes in the bin.

"With the current dry conditions and the lockdown, there is a bigger risk of these fires and we have seen a rise.

He added: "It's also extremely important to make sure people have a working smoke alarm."

Elsewhere, the fire in Leigh involved two houses on the Avenue at around 7pm on Sunday (April 19), after a carelessly discarded cigarette had caused some dry leaves to set on fire.

The fire spread but fortunately crews from Atherton, Hindley and Leigh, were able to get the fire under control before it caused any damage.

The occupants of the properties escaped unharmed.

For more information on disposing of cigarettes safely, visit Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service's website.