Two people had a narrow escape in Broughton after a discarded cigarette sparked a bedroom fire in the early hours of Tuesday 14 April.
Three fire engines were called to a house on Hacking Street in Salford at 4.30am after neighbours reported a fire with two people trapped inside.
When crews arrived, a woman aged 65 and a man in his mid to late 30s had managed to get out of the house but there was a fire in the bedroom on the first floor.
The whole of the first floor was heavily smoke-logged, and there was damage to the floor, bed and bedding which had set ablaze.
Crews used two hose reels, four breathing apparatus and a positive pressure ventilation fan to put out the fire and clear the smoke.
Crew Manager Chris McNally, from Broughton Fire Station, said: “It looks like the fire was caused by carelessly discarded smoking materials.
“The woman had been smoking in bed and nipped downstairs – while she was downstairs a fire was developing in the bedroom.
“A man in another room was alerted to the fire when he was woken by the smell of smoke.”
The woman and man were checked over by paramedics at the scene but declined hospital treatment.
Crew Manager McNally added: “This incident shows the dangers of smoking in bed – please never smoke in bed and always ensure smoking materials are out before discarding them.
“There was a smoke alarm in the house but it had been taken down so the occupants were lucky really. We fitted two smoke alarms while we were there.”
