An unattended e-cigarette charger sparked a fire at a house in Hythe.

Crews raced to the two-storey property in Bartholomew Street just after 6.30pm yesterday.

They cleared smoke and fumes from the home following the blaze in a first floor bedroom.

Firefighters urged others to take extra care when charging e-cigarettes.

They advised:

• Only use the charger supplied with your e-cigarette
• If no charger is supplied check with the manufacturer for a list of approved chargers
• Read the instructions on how to clean the battery centre pin and charger contact
• Stop charging once it has been fully charged
• Don’t leave it charging overnight, unattended or charging on flammable surfaces such as a bed or sofa
• Don’t over-tighten the battery – especially when charging
• Make sure you have working smoke alarms on every floor of your home and test them regularly.

Firefighters left the scene just after 7pm.