A young mum woken by a fire alarm in the early hours of this morning rescued a teenage boy from a smoke-filled flat.

Sonnie Hemphill, 21, woke the youth who had fallen asleep on a sofa, and dragged him out of the apartment in Britton Street, Gillingham.

Brave Sonnie, dressed only in her nightie, then fought back acrid black fumes to make sure there was nobody else inside.

The drama unfurled at about 5am today, when Sonnie and one-year-old daughter, Maicee-Mae were staying at her mother's home at Albert Manor.

Sonnie, from Chatham, said : "I didn't think twice at the time. I just thought there are eight families living in the maisonettes and we could have all been killed, including my baby.

"The adrenalin just kept pumping. The fire brigade said I should not have gone back in but I think I would do the same.

"Firefighters from Medway and Strood attended the incident which is thought to have been caused by food left cooking in an oven."