FIRE crews were called after a candle started a blaze in a Whitefield house.

The fire started at the property in Frankton Road about 9pm last night after the candle was left too close to some plastic furniture.

The occupants were alerted to the danger by a smoke alarm and acted quickly, smothering the flames with wet towels.

The fire service said this incident follows a number over recent weeks which were also started because residents chose to light candles.

Mike Barrett, watch manager at Whitefield Fire Station, said: “If possible, we would ask everyone to avoid using candles at all.

“Even in the event of a power cut, it is always better to use a torch rather than a candle, because of the dangers they can cause.

“The other thing to stress is the importance of having a working smoke alarm in your house because if that had not been the case in this incident, things would have been much worse.”