Fire crews attended a fire at a terraced property in Hudswell Street, Wakefield, after our Control Room was alerted at 22.34 hrs on the evening of January 18.

Firefighters from Wakefield, Ossett and Normanton stations attended.

This was a fire in the living room of the property, where an 86 year old man was sadly found deceased.

A subsequent fire investigation has found that the cause of the fire is believed to be accidental, due to dropped smoking materials.

Area Manager for Fire Safety, Chris Kirby, said: “Our deepest condolences go out to the family of this gentleman.

“The case is now in the hands of the coroner who will establish the full facts of what happened.

“However, we would like to re-issue our general fire safety advice around cigarettes and smoking materials, which are a frequent cause of the accidental fires in homes we attend year on year.

“If you are smoker, please take a moment to review our guidance.”

GENERAL smoking fire safety advice:

• Never smoke in bed. Take care when you’re tired – it’s very easy to fall asleep while your cigarette is still burning and set furniture alight
• Never smoke indoors when under the influence of drugs or alcohol. If your lit cigarette starts a fire you could be less able to escape
• Put it out, right out!  Make sure your cigarette is fully extinguished
• Fit a smoke alarm and test it weekly. A working smoke alarm can buy you valuable time to get out, stay out and call 999
• Never leave lit cigarettes, cigars or pipes unattended – they can easily overbalance as they burn down
• Use a proper, heavy ashtray that can’t tip over easily and is made of a material that won’t burn