Firefighters spent almost five hours tackling a blaze in the roof of a chalet bungalow.

Crews were called to Brookland just before 10pm yesterday after neighbours spotted flames coming from the roof of the empty building.

Four fire engines, an aerial appliance and a water unit were sent to the scene at Bowdell Lane.

Crews initially tackled the blaze with a main jet and hose reel jet, targeted at the roof to restrict the fire spread.

A specialist hose called a fog spike was also used on the front and back of the property to punch holes into the structure.

This was to enable firefighters to deliver water to the inside of building, creating a super-fine misting effect, which can reduce the temperature and spread of a fire.

Fire crews got to the roof via ladders and worked to knock the fire out using hose reel jets.

A positive pressure ventilation fan was then used to push smoke and fumes from the inside of the bungalow and three breathing apparatus teams fought the blaze inside the property to stop the fire spreading to the ground floor.

The fire was put out shortly after midnight but firefighters stayed at the scene carrying out salvage and damping down hotspots until around 3am.