Warning against smoking in bed
One man had a lucky escape after a lit cigarette sent the bed he fell asleep on up in flames.
It’s prompting calls from Fire and Emergency NZ, the renamed Fire Service, to avoid smoking in bed and to make sure sleepouts have smoke alarms.
ta¯huhu station officer Shane Munro says the ‘‘medium-size’’ fire broke out early at the Ma¯ngere house on September 22.
‘‘The gentleman fell asleep while smoking in bed in a sleep out,’’ he says.
Family members in the main house were able to put most of the fire out but it could have been much worse, Munro says.
‘‘He was quite lucky he woke up. He had no smoke alarms.’’
Munro says there was fire damage to the bed, the carpet surrounding the bed and a nearby couch.
He says it’s a reminder to people to have smoke alarms in the house and outbuildings.
‘‘People are putting them in their house, but forgetting to put them in sleepouts.
‘‘If you are tired, taking medications or have had a lot of alcohol - avoid smoking in bed.’’
Munro says it’s important to ensure cigarettes and matches have been extinguished. It’s ideal to smoke outdoors, he says.
Fire And Emergency NZ recommends people use long-life photoelectric smoke alarms, available from hardware shops.