FIREFIGHTERS have urged the public to take care after a blaze sparked by a vaping unit charger.

Katrina Grodynski's flat suffered severe smoke damage after she went out, leaving her vape on charge in her lounge.

It is the latest in a series of reported fires and explosions involving vaping units and their chargers.

Dorset and Wiltshire Fire and Rescue Service were called to Ripon Road in Winton, Bournemouth, at 4.20pm on Wednesday.

They were joined by police officers and an ambulance crew after Miss Grodynski suffered from smoke inhalation.

The unit had set light to a drape, which was hanging from a chair in the property.

Watch manager Mark Downing, incident commander, told the Daily Echo: "We would ask people to be careful with vapes and their chargers.

"You must always ensure that you buy them from a reputable company and that they have the appropriate safety marks.

"In this case the drape was also too close to the unit so make sure that doesn't happen"

Miss Grodynski's flat is on the ground floor, at the rear of Chelsea Nails.

She said she was returning home from a friend's house and noticed a strong smell of smoke and heard her smoke alarm as she got to the door of her property.

She said: "There was thick smoke but I went into the flat because I was trying to work out where it was coming from and wanted to see if I could put it out.

"In the end I had to walk out again because I couldn't breathe."

Mr Downing added: "It is good that there was a working smoke alarm but I would advise against going into a property where there is obviously a fire.

"You should stay outside and call the fire brigade."

Fire crews from Redhill and Springbourne attended the fire and used two sets of breathing apparatus and one hose reel jet to deal with the incident.