A WOMAN was forced to flee her burning bedroom after a cigarette started a fire.

Firefighters were called to Nangreaves Street in Leigh just before 2pm after ash from a lit cigarette caused bedding to go up in flames.

The female resident was able to escape safely and a neighbour helped to get three pet dogs safely out of the property.

The fire crews were able to prevent the blaze spreading to other areas of the house, with the fire destroying about 70 per cent of the bedroom area.

Leigh watch manager Gary Mercer said: "An incident like this really brings home advice that we have given out about not smoking inside the house, particularly in the bedroom where there are a lot of combustibles like bedding and sheets which can easily catch fire.

"It is also really important to have a working smoke alarm in the house."