by Lynn Cox

An elderly woman was pulled from her burning bed by her grandson after falling asleep smoking a cigarette

The woman, 84, who has not been named, suffered burns and smoke inhalation after falling asleep while smoking a cigarette.

Firefighters were called out to the home in Clandon Road, Lordswood, in the early hours of this morning. They found the grandson had managed to not only pull his grandmother from the burning bed, but also had managed to throw most of the burning material out of a window.

Paramedics and firefighters gave oxygen to both at the scene before they were taken to Medway Maritime Hospital. It is not known at this stage how serious the woman’s burns are.

The grandson is understood to have suffered only smoke inhalation during the fire, which started at about 3.50am.

A crew from Medway Fire Station dealt with the incident.

A spokesman for Kent Fire and Rescue Service, said: "He did very well getting his grandmother out.

"Smoking in bed is not something we would advise at any time.

"There was a smoke alarm in the house, but it was downstairs and in the wrong place.

"The man had also managed to get most of the burning material out of the window when we arrived on the scene, we spent about 40 minutes there making sure all the flames were out.

"The woman was in and out of consciousness and did suffer some burns, she and the man were taken to hospital."