A LOG burner caused a chimney fire at a house in Barrowford over the weekend.

The elderly resident at the detached property was out at the time when the fire was noticed by neighbours who contacted the fire service.

Two fire engines from Nelson were called to the house, in Barleydale Road, on Saturday where they found part of the roof on fire.

A spokesman from Nelson Fire Service said: "The fire had broken through the roof so we used breathing apparatus to go into the loft.

"We used a ladder and a jet to stop it going through the rest of the roof and then checked to ensure the roof was fully extinguished.

"There was no one in at the time."

The fire is believed to have started at about 10.37am and firefighters remained on the scene for approximately 90 minutes.

The spokesman said: "The neighbours called us at 11.15am.

"The occupant, an older gentleman, was out at the time.

"It was a log burner that started the fire.

"It got very hot where the chimney nears the loft.

"We want to remind people of the importance of making sure you keep your fires off if you are leaving the property."

A statement from Lancashire Fire and Rescue said: "Firefighters found the fire in the roof space of the property and extinguished the fire using a 10.5m ladder, dewalt saw, breathing apparatus and a hose reel.

"Crews remained at the scene for approximately 1 hour and 20 minutes."