Firefighters spent three hours putting out a house fire on Sunday night.

A total of three pumps were sent to the two-storey property in Sweechgate, between Broad Oak and Sturry at 1.30am.

When crews arrived the middle aged owner of the terrace house had already escaped, and neighbours had also evacuated their house.

The blaze is thought to have started in the kitchen, before spreading to other rooms. The entire house, which is believed to have three to four bedrooms, suffered serious smoke damage.

Watch manager Scott Pearce said: “Although it wasn’t a smoke alarm that alerted the owner to leave the property, it is a clear example where perhaps if an alarm were working the damage would not have been as severe.

“The owner of the property was understandably upset and work will have to be done on the house before he can move back in.”

Crews returned to the station at 4.30am.