AN e-cigarette exploded and caused a small fire at a flat in Silsden.

The device was charging when the incident happened last night.

Firefighters from Keighley and Bingley were called out to the ground-floor property, in Kirkgate, at about 9pm.

They used buckets of water to extinguish the fire, which affected a small area of carpeting.

The occupant of the flat, a 54-year-old man, suffered shock and inhaled some smoke.

He was given oxygen by the fire crews and an ambulance was called, for paramedics to check him over.

The man was watching television when he was alerted to the fire by smoke detectors.

"He did the right thing – got out of the flat and called 999," said watch commander Michael Rhodes, of Keighley Fire Station.

"I've heard of e-cigarettes exploding but this is the first time I've actually come across it.

"Our advice if you have e-cigarettes is always to use the correct charger, which was supplied with the device when you bought it, and never leave it unattended when charging."