FIREFIGHTERS have issued a warning after a cigarette caused a fire in a home.

An elderly man had emptied an ashtray into a bag of waste paper before falling asleep not knowing that a cigarette in the tray was still lit, firefighters said.

Two crews were sent to the incident in Bridgewater Court in Bath Street, Blackburn at around 4am on Saturday.

A spokesman said: "The Fire Service attended a fire involving a bag of waste paper in the flat of an elderly gentleman this morning.

"The Gentleman had emptied an ash tray into the bag before he went to sleep on his sofa.

"The ash tray contained a cigarette that was still lit, which eventually caused a fire in the bag.

"The occupier was alerted by the fire alarm activated and he left the flat, the fire service was automatically mobilised by the alarm system.

"A ventilation unit was used to clear the smoke from the building."

He added: "Always make sure that cigarettes are properly extinguished in especially at bed time.

"Smoke alarms save lives.

"You are more than twice as likely to die in a fire at home if you haven’t got one.

"A smoke alarm is the easiest way to alert you to the danger of fire, giving you and your family precious time to escape."