A WARNING about the dangers of sparklers on cakes has been issued after a birthday surprise went wrong.

A fire broke out at a house at about 8.30am on Saturday in Dalton Avenue, Whitefield, after a spark given off by the sparkler flew onto a bed and ignited.

But while they had gone downstairs the fire broke out, causing extensive smoke damage to the house.

The fire was contained to the bedroom, and they were able to get out of the house unhurt and call the fire service.

Watch manager Mike Barrett, from Whitefield fire station, urged people to be careful while using sparklers.

He said: “This could have been a really serious incident. These things look good but people forget that they can be very dangerous.

“They are becoming much more popular so this incident shows the importance of being careful while using them, as well as having working smoke alarms.”