RESIDENTS and staff were evacuated after a fire at a Bury nursing home.

The outbreak in the smoking room of the Chestnut Court nursing home in Newton Street involved a carelessly discarded cigarette. Officers said the smoking material was in an ashtray near a window. Flames set fire to the curtains in the room and also caused damage to a wall.

Residents were forced to leave their rooms and, together with staff, were evacuated to the home's reception area to allow firefighters to tackle the blaze. After extinguishing the fire, officers deployed a high pressure fan to ventilate the premises.

The fire happened on Sunday afternoon and fire crews were at the scene for around 90 minutes. No-one was injured in the outbreak.