A FAMILY had to be evacuated from their house in the early hours after a discarded cigarette caused a fire and filled the property with smoke.

Two fire crews from High Wycombe were called around 2.30am to the end of terrace home in Oakridge Road, High Wycombe.

One of the residents had been smoking outside by the shed before going to bed and threw the cigarette onto a waste pile, consisting of plastic, timber and waste, between the wooden structure and the house.

Watch manager Andy Ward said, although it was only a small fire that took five minutes to get under control, it had damaged guttering, the soffit and fascia.

Smoke filtered through the house.

Watch manager Ward said: “It was a small fire outside a property which resulted in potential danger to a family and they were forced to evacuate there home while we dealt with it. The house was filled with smoke.”

Firefighters had to strip the roofing and carefully search for any hidden material still burning. They returned later for an inspection to check.

Watch manager Ward advised smokers to be wary when disposing of lit tobacco: “I would suggest that if you do smoke outside be careful where you dispose of materials, make sure it's well away from any building or material which may burn,” he said.