A woman and her dog had to be treated by medics after the canine sparked a fire in their flat by turning on the electric hob.

Fire crews were called to the second floor flat in Browning Road, Dartford, at around 5.15pm yesterday, with two engines making their way to the property.

The woman is believed to have been moving items around in her kitchen and accidentally placed a microwave on the hob, which her dog - a Staffordshire Bull Terrier named Beau - jumped up to and knocked the dial.

Black smoke filled the flat and the microwave was destroyed, but the blaze itself was extinguished by an off-duty London firefighter who lives nearby by the time crews arrived from Dartford Fire Station.

Crews then used a fan to clear the smoke and the woman was taken to hospital by ambulance after breathing in too much smoke.

Beau was given oxygen at the scene using a specialist pet mask and passed into the care of neighbours.

Dartford Watch Manager, John Allwright explained: "We gave oxygen therapy to the young woman and to Beau using our new pet oxygen mask as they had both inhaled fire smoke.

This can cause your lungs and airways to become irritated, swollen and blocked and in severe cases can make you lose consciousness.

"We’re pleased that no one was seriously hurt but would always advise against storing items on top of cookers as accidents can easily happen but if you have no alternative, please switch appliances off at the wall beforehand.

If you have pets try to keep them away from naked flames or cooker controls."

KFRS now has pet oxygen masks on most of its fire engines. These have been provided by not-for-profit organisation, Smokey Paws funded by donations by individuals, businesses and charities.

A full set of masks costs £90 and every penny given counts towards helping pets. You can get involved by contacting Smokey Paws.