Firefighters have issued a warning to smokers after a faulty lighter started a fire in a bedroom. 

Crews were called to Bodmin Road in Chelmsford around 2.45pm yesterday (Thursday, April 4) following reports of a fire breaking out in a bedroom. 

People outside the house had called the fire service after hearing smoke alarms going off. 

They exited the building as quickly as possible after shutting doors inside the house to stop the blaze from spreading. 

Firefighters were able to put the flames out by 3.20pm having arrived to find a bedroom completely smoke logged. 

The fire was caused by a broken cigarette lighter that set fire to the bedding.

Crew Manager Paul Mayes from Chelmsford Fire Station said: “If you are a smoker or you know someone who smokes, we’d advise you do not smoke in the bedroom and ensure your lighters are in a good condition and you do not leave them unattended after use.

“We’d also like to highlight the importance of having working smoke alarms. The smoke alarms alerted the residents very quickly to this fire which meant they called us quickly and we could put it out before it spread.

“We’d like to praise the resident for thinking quickly to shut the doors on the way out of the house which managed to prevent a lot of damage to the house. In the event of a fire, if it is safe to do so - and only if it is safe to do so - please try to shut doors on your way out of the house as this can minimise smoke and fire damage.

“Please do not attempt to tackle a fire yourself or return to the property if there is a fire.”