Firefighters rush to garden shed blaze in Northampton caused by discarded cigarettes

Firefighters were called to the scene of a garden shed fire in Northampton yesterday evening (April 22).

About three metres of fencing, which was next to a garden shed, was involved in the fire at an address in Talan Rise at 6.28pm.

Firefighters used one hose reel jet and thermal imaging cameras as they successfully extinguished the fire and they left the scene just under two hours later at 7.59pm.

A spokesman for the Northamptonshire Fire and Rescue service said: "The fence was severely damaged during the blaze, and initial investigations indicate the cause of the fire was accidental due to discarded smoking materials.

"Whether at home or elsewhere, our advice is to make sure that cigarettes are put right out and disposed of away from sheds, fences, trees, shrubs or garden waste."

This is the third fire this week found to be caused by discarded cigarette ends. A 41-year-old man had to be treated by paramedics after a fire spread to fencing and trees, damaging electrical wiring in an external building on Monday night in Daventry. It took crews three hours to tackle the blaze.

Crews also rushed to Grove Street in Raunds on Tuesday (April 21) when a fire caused by a discarded cigarette end damaged fencing and garden furniture.