FIRE chiefs have issued a warning after an Appleton family were forced to flee their home in the middle of the night following a fire caused by a charging e-cigarette.

Firefighters say a teenager was woken just before midnight to smoke filling her bedroom and after dialling 999, the family waited outside until crews arrived in two fire engines to tackle the blaze on Melrose Avenue.

Once the fire was extinguished, an investigation into the cause of the blaze revealed the device had overheated while charging.

Keith Brooks, Cheshire Fire head of prevention and protection, said: “This family has been very lucky indeed and this case highlights the importance of people ensuring they use the correct chargers, that come with e-cigarettes, and never leave them charging overnight.

“The advice is clear: only use the charger that came with a device and never leave e-cigarettes unattended while charging, especially overnight.”

The incident is one of many recent cases that have prompted calls for e-cigarette manufacturers to produce clearer warnings to customers about the dangers of chargers that are incompatible with the devices.

Cllr Jeremy Hilton, chairman of the Local Government Association’s Fire Services Management Committee, added: “We are warning users that it is simply not worth risking their lives to save a few pounds by buying dodgy, dangerous or incompatible chargers.”

By Adam John