A woman had to be treated for smoke inhalation after tackling a fire herself.

The Dartford woman, thought to be in early 60s, found tea towels alight on her cooker hob after hearing the fire alarm go off and smelling the smoke last night.

Two fire engines from Dartford were sent to the flat, just off St John's Road, Stone, just before 6.30pm.

Crew manager, Gary Miller, said: “The woman immediately turned the cooker off and took the burning tea towels to a nearby sink and doused them with water.

“While the fire was only small, it produced a lot of smoke, filling her flat and spreading to the first floor communal corridor.

"Unfortunately, the woman breathed in quite a bit of smoke and we gave her oxygen therapy before handing her into the care of the ambulance service for precautionary checks.”

Fire crews have issued some safety messages as a result of the fire:

• Make sure your cooker is switched off when not in use.
• Don’t leave tea towels or any other flammable items close to a heat source.
• Never attempt to tackle a fire yourself, you could get seriously hurt. Just three breaths of fire smoke can be fatal.
• Fit working smoke alarms on every floor of your home.

For more free fire advice contact Kent Fire and Rescue Service by calling 0800 923 7000, emailing home@kent.fire-uk.org or visit www.saferwinter.info.