Couple flee house blaze caused by carelessly discarded cigarette

A fire crew from Atherton attended the scene at Caldwell Avenue, Tyldesley, at around 1.15pm today (Saturday).

The blaze occurred in the bedroom of the semi-detached house and was caused by smoking materials.

The man and woman, aged in their 50s, managed to evacuate the house before the arrival of firefighters.

The man suffered minor burns to his hands and they were both suffering from the effects of smoke. They were treated at the scene by a North West Ambulance crew but refused hospital treatment.

A spokesperson for Atherton fire station said: “Two people self-rescued prior to us arriving. It was a fire in the bedroom and the man suffered burns to his hands, while both had minor smoke inhalation.

"People are advised not to smoke in bedrooms and to make sure smoking materials are fully extinguished.”