A man accidentally set fire to his roof and damaged his loft after using incense in an attempt to fumigate his home of bees.

The man, of Kingswood Road, is believed to have left the fragrant sticks lit when he went to the shops to buy some more after discovering a bee's nest at his Chiswick home.

The fire brigade said the incense sticks had set fire to clothes nearby and the flames ignited the roof, which has damaged half of the house's loft.

More than 20 firefighters rushed to the scene and tackled the blaze for about 10 minutes before the fire was extinguished.

The London Fire Brigade were called at 1.21pm yesterday (Wednesday) and crews had the fire out by 1.32pm.

Alan Allmark, watch manager at Park Royal Fire Station, who was at the scene, he said: “The man had discovered a bee’s nest in his loft and was using an incense fumigation product to try and get rid of them.

"We believe he left the incense burning whilst he went to the shops to buy some more.

"It’s really dangerous to leave anything burning in your home if you’re not keeping a close eye on it at all times.

“If you think you’ve got a problem with bees or wasps, it’s much safer to call an expert than try and sort it out yourself.

“Fortunately, due to the quick actions of the firefighters, the fire damage was limited to part of the loft. The blaze could have been much worse if crews hadn’t acted so quickly.”

Four fire engines from Acton, Park Royal, Kensington and Chiswick fire stations attended the incident.