House in Flintshire left 'uninhabitable' after fire

North Wales Fire and Rescue Service (NWFRS) said the incident occurred during the early hours of Sunday in Whitford, near Holywell.

It was caused by logs stored next to a wood burning stove catching fire.

A NWFRS spokesperson said: "We’re appealing to residents to consider where and how they store their logs after a fire caused severe smoke damage to a property in Flintshire at the weekend -  rendering it uninhabitable for the occupants. 

"The cause of the fire was logs stored next to a wood burning stove. The occupiers were out at the time of the fire, and the fire developed undetected."

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Jane Honey, NWFRS' deputy head of prevention, said: “It may seem the ideal place to store and to dry wood, ready to use on your wood burning stove, especially in the dark and wet evenings. My advice is please don’t - this is not safe. 

“Find a better position to store wood away from the fire so eliminating the risk of the wood smouldering and then catching fire. If you see this when you are visiting your friends and family, please let them know. 

“Make sure you and yours have working smoke detectors and look after each other this Christmas.”