North Wales Fire and Rescue Service is highlighting the dangers of carelessly discarded smoking materials following a fire in Buckley last night.

Crews were called to a fire in Nant View Court, Buckley at 9.32pm on Monday 14^th August.

The cause of the fire was believed to be discarded smoking materials which spread to the property.

Jâmi Jennings, Community Safety Manager for Flintshire and Wrexham, said: "This incident clearly highlights the dangers of not extinguishing cigarettes properly in suitable containers.

"It is vital to make sure all smoking materials are put out safely, especially before bed time.

"If you have elderly relatives or friends who are smokers, make them aware of the possible dangers - by following the steps below they can help cut the risk of a smoking related fire in the home: -Take extra care when you're tired, taking any sort of drugs or have been drinking alcohol. It's very easy to fall asleep without while your cigarette is still burning

- Never smoke in bed - if you need to lie down, don't light up. You could doze off and set your bed on fire

- Never leave lit cigarettes, cigars or pipes unattended - they can easily overbalance as they burn down

- Buy child-resistant lighters and matchboxes - every year children die by starting fires with matches and lighters. Keep these where children can't reach them

- Use a proper, heavy ashtray that can't tip over easily and is made of a material that won't burn. Make sure your cigarette is not still burning when you are finished - put it out, right out

- Tap your ash into an ashtray, never a wastebasket containing other rubbish - and don't let the ash or cigarette ends build up in the ashtray

- Install and maintain a smoke alarm - when a fire starts, you only have a few minutes to escape. A working smoke alarm can buy you valuable time to get out, stay out and dial 999. You can get a basic smoke alarm for the same price as a packet of cigarettes. Better still are those smoke alarms with long-life batteries or are mains-powered.