Essex Fire and Rescue Service has issued a plea to smokers after a discarded cigarette caused a blaze which destroyed an outbuilding.
Firefighters were called to an outbuilding fire in Loughton at 1.33pm on Saturday.
On arrival, crews reported an outbuilding attached to a house was on fire and was beginning to spread to two houses.
Three crews worked quickly to prevent the fire spreading further and extinguished it in less than an hour, by 2.21pm.
Firefighters believe it was caused by a discarded cigarette.
Station Manager Nick Singleton said: “This was the second fire our crews had been to this weekend caused by a discarded cigarette.
"Please, if you are a smoker, take care when discarding cigarettes.
"Make sure they are properly stubbed out before you discard them as the embers from a lit cigarette can quickly cause devastating fires.”
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