A BLAZE broke out in a teenager’s bedroom when candles set fire to the curtains.

Fire crews were called to a house in West Street, Burgess Hill, on Thursday.

When they arrived at 12.52pm the fire had already been extinguished by a man living at the property.

But Burgess Hill Fire Station crew manager Ed Swain said the incident could have been much more serious.

“Luckily there was an adult in the property at the time when the fire broke out and he managed to deal with the fire himself upon hearing the smoke alarms activating,” he said. “In this instance, it didn’t take much for the curtains to catch fire and this had the potential to become a much more serious incident.

“There was a fair bit of heat damage to the curtains and the teenager’s bed, as well as smoke damage to the rest of the room.

“Fortunately this house also had a working smoke alarm fitted, which gave the family an early warning that something was wrong.”

Mr Swain warned people to be careful with candles as more people stay home due to the coronavirus pandemic.

“We would like to take this opportunity to remind people of the dangers associated with naked flames and candles and the importance of keeping them away from flammable materials,” he said. “They should only be used in a proper candle holder, and they should be extinguished before you leave the room or sleep.”