A family-of-four have fled their home after a fire ripped through a bedroom tonight.

The couple and their two children ran from the house in Cornwallis Avenue, Aylesham, when the blaze erupted shortly after 8pm.

They called 999 but first on the scene were two off-duty firefighters who tackled the flames with extinguishers and garden hoses.

The pair managed to stop the fire spreading into the roof.

When fire crews arrived they went into the house wearing breathing gear to fight the blaze.

An upstairs bedroom was destroyed but the damage was contained because the couple had closed internal doors before they left the house.

Firefighters helped them salvage items when the blaze was out.

The fire is believed to have been caused by an electrical fault in an airing cupboard.

Crews were expected to have left the scene by 10.15pm.