Crews at Bridport Fire Station were called to two house fires in the space of five hours over the weekend.

Just before 8.30pm on Saturday, one crew were called to a chimney fire in Swyre.

On arrival, they found the homeowner had put out the fire in the wood burner but smoke was still emitting from the chimney pot, from under the roof tiles and within the loft space.

The crew set to work trying to extinguish the fire from above and below using a chimney kit and thermal imaging camera.

A spokesman for Bridport Fire Station said: "With smoke still being emitted, crews removed the wood burner and upon inspection found multiple seats of fire caused by a large build-up of debris.

"With better access the fires were extinguished.

"The chimney hadn't been swept for some time, there was no cowl on the chimney pot and the chimney stack wasn't lined. Most of the debris was twigs, probably caused by birds nesting.

"Chimneys should be swept:

• At least once a year when using smokeless fuels

• Every three months when burning wood

• Once a year when using gas

"Chimneys should also be inspected for damage and it's also advisable to have a smoke detector in the loft."

More information can be found here.

Not long after returning from the chimney fire, crews were called to a house fire in Bridport town centre just after 1am.

On arrival, firefighters were shown to the first floor balcony at the back of a shop where rubbish bags had been left and had caught fire.

A resident had attempted to extinguish the fire from their second floor window.

Crews used one hose reel jet to put out the fire.

The spokesman added: "The accidental fire was believed to have been caused by a discarded cigarette landing in the bin bags.

"Luckily, the resident had returned home and after smelling smoke and hearing the smoke alarm found the fire. This prevented what could have been quite a serious fire.

"Ensure cigarettes are fully extinguished and disposed of in an appropriate manner."