A FAMILY had a lucky escape when a discarded cigarette caused a blaze which destroyed a bedroom.

Grandmother Jacqueline Mayer had emptied an ashtray into a bin and left her room to take her morning shower when the fire started.

When the 55-year-old smelled smoke minutes later, she returned to the bedroom to find the blaze had already taken hold.

Her husband John fetched water to try to extinguish the flames, but it was too late.

Mrs Mayer said: "I was only gone about four minutes. When I opened the bedroom door the flames were already going up the wall. I had a curtain covering the wardrobe and that had gone up. It was awful.

"It was unbelievable how fast it spread – if we'd gone out somewhere we would've lost the whole house."

Mrs Mayer's 12-year-old granddaughter, Kimberley Mayer, and son Anthony's partner, Kelly Hughes, were downstairs when the fire broke out, at around 10.15am on Saturday.

Everyone was safely out of the Aspire Housing-owned property, in Gilbert Close in Kidsgrove, when firefighters arrived to tackle the blaze.

There were two smoke alarms fitted in the house, but only one was working.

Mrs Mayer's bedroom was gutted, and smoke damage caused to the whole of the upstairs.

She said: "Every single item of clothing I had has gone. I've had to beg, borrow and steal so I've got something to wear. My bag was in there and the heat melted my purse.

"Aspire have been good and offered to put us up in a hotel, but we would rather stay here and get the place sorted out.

"We're living downstairs and waiting for someone to come round and assess the damage."

Mrs Mayer's son Scott and his partner Michelle Lightfoot also live at the house. Scott, aged 31, said: "I was out at the time and came back to see the fire engine and firefighters in my mum's bedroom. All sorts of things were going on in my mind. I was so relieved that everyone was OK."

Mrs Mayer, who has lived in the house for 25 years, said she will dispose of her cigarettes more carefully from now on. She said: "This has certainly been a wake-up call. It's scary how fast the fire got going, and I would tell other people to be careful. We're just really lucky nobody was hurt."

Staffordshire Fire and Rescue Service also warned smokers of the dangers of causing fires in their homes.

Station manager Mick Daniels said: "Tobacco is designed to stay lit, so cigarettes and cigars can easily start an accidental fire, especially if you are tired, not alert or have been drinking alcohol. We would urge smokers to either kick the habit altogether, smoke outside their property or ensure they always extinguish their cigarettes properly, especially last thing at night.

"Had this fire occurred during the hours of darkness then the outcome may well have been different."