Firefighters have sent out a warning to take extra care when cooking after a kitchen fire left a man in hospital this morning.

Crews were called to Martyrs' Field Road in Canterbury where the heat from a hob is believed to have set fire to a freezer.

Crews wearing breathing apparatus extinguished the blaze at the three-storey house.

A couple in their 50s were treated for smoke inhalation by paramedics, and the man was taken to hospital for checks after breathing in dry powder from an extinguisher, that he had used to try to put the fire out.

Watch Manager Mark Jones said: "As this incident shows a moments’ distraction can lead to an accidental fire.

"The safest thing to do would be to isolate the power, but only if it is safe to do so, then get out, stay out, and call 999."

"We would always advise against storing items on top of cookers as accidents can easily happen. However, if it is unavoidable to do this we would warn residents to make sure that they isolate the power to appliance before hand.

"In the unfortunate event of a fire in your home, we would strongly recommend that you do not attempt to tackle it yourself, as this could easily result in injury. The safest thing to do would be to isolate the power, but only if it is safe to do so, then get out, stay out, and call 999.

"On the way out of your property close as many internal doors as possible with personal safety being paramount."