A woman has been taken to hospital after her dog is thought to have started a fire in her kitchen by turning on the hob.

Firefighters believe the rottweiler, similar to the one pictured right, caused the blaze at the Dartford house this afternoon.

Two crews were called to the Willow Road home at about 12.15pm after the woman phoned 999.

She had left laundry on top of the hob before collecting her daughter from nursery. When she returned, smoke was billowing from the house.

The woman rescued her dog from the smoke-filled house - but suffered breathing difficulties.

Around 10 firefighters wearing breathing apparatus extinguished the blaze and used a fan to clear smoke from the property.

The fire destroyed 20% of the kitchen and smoke damaged the whole house.

Dartford fire station watch manager Bob Chilmaid said: "After calling the fire service, the woman entered her home and brought her rottweiler dog out to safety, but suffered smoke inhalation in the process.

"We gave her oxygen therapy and she was then taken to hospital by ambulance crews for precautionary checks.

"Just three breaths of fire smoke can knock you unconscious so don't put yourself at risk by stopping to investigate the fire or to collect pets or valuables. Just tell the fire crews when they arrive – we'll be able to find them quicker and more safely than you."

He added: "The safest option is to make sure cookers and other appliances are always fully switched off after use and never store items around ovens and hobs."