A carer battled through thick smoke to save an elderly lady from a flat fire.

The blaze had broken out at a home in Bairds Hill, Broadstairs, just before 7.30pm on Friday night.

When the woman arrived to check on her client, she found a pan that had been left on the hob had caught alight.

The carer persuaded the woman, thought to be in her late 60's, to leave her home.

She then made sure she closed the kitchen door, to reduce the spread of the fire and minimise smoke damage and called 999.

Firefighters tackled the fire and had to use ventilation equipment to clear smoke from the room.

Ramsgate watch manager, Chris Nation, said: “Both women took in several lungs full of thick acrid smoke and had to be taken to hospital by ambulance for precautionary checks.

"Had the carer not been there at the time and carried out these actions, the resident could well have been in a life-threatening situation or seriously hurt and the fire is likely to have spread to other areas of the flat.”

Kent Fire and Rescue Services offer free home safety advice and can visit an elderly or vulnerable person in their home. Call 0800 923 7000, or email contact details to home@kent.fire-uk.org