UPTON PRIORY HOMES DAMAGED BY FIRE

A fire caused by a cigarette has damaged three terraced houses on Upton Priory estate in Macclesfield.

It broke out in the lounge of an end terrace on Dorset Walk, on Saturday afternoon after a cigarette wasn`t extinguished properly.

Smoke travelled through the attics of adjoining properties, causing damage to two more houses.

Pete Lloyd, watch manager and incident commander, said crews from Wilmslow and Poynton were called to the property at 2.30pm by a neighbour, after smoke was seen billowing from the windows.

He said: “We believe it started in the lounge and we are putting it down to smoking materials.

“It was an accidental fire. A chair started to burn and caused a large fire in the lounge, which has broken through the ceiling above and into the bedroom, causing severe damage.”

Firefighters rescued a dog from the property and forced their way into a second property to establish how far the smoke had travelled.

Watch manager Lloyd added: “Because it`s an end terrace and the smoke got into the attic, it then travelled along the roof spaces to two more houses.

“One bedroom was damaged and a bit of smoke damage to another property, but luckily there was no actual fire damage.”

He added: “The safety message that we put to anybody who does still smoke, is to make sure when you put out cigarettes that they are put out properly and disposed of in a safe manner.”

Source: http://menmedia.co.uk/macclesfieldexpress/news/s/1470049_three-homes-damaged-in-blaze-started-by-discarded-cigarette?rss=yes