FIRE crews were called to a house in Bar Street, Burnley, at 8pm yesterday after a passer-by spotted curtains on fire.

The passer-by alerted the fire services and ripped off plastic sheeting covering a broken ground floor window to pour water on to the fire.

The blaze was almost out when fire crews arrived but neighbours thought the occupant of the smoke-logged house might have been inside and an ambulance was called as a precaution.

Firefighters carried out a rapid search of the property but the man who lived in the house was not at home.

Closer inspection revealed unextinguished smoking materials left near an armchair caused the fire.

The property had a smoke alarm installed but there was no battery in it.

Neil Mark, sub officer at Burnley fire station, said: "If people are smoking in the house, it is imperative they get rid of their smoke materials properly, damping out anything left in the ashtray and disposing of it properly.

"It is also important they have at least one smoke alarm.

"This gentleman said he would probably have been asleep if he was at home. If he had been we would have been dealing with something a lot more serious.

"It was only by luck that he was not in the premises.