A MAN and two children made a dramatic escape early today when fire swept through their flat on the Stanhope estate at Ashford.

All three were taken to hospital but later discharged without serious injuries. The blaze, in Kilndown Close, occurred just after midnight and left the home badly damaged.

Mark Hills, who was staying in a flat next door, said: “I heard the fire alarm go off and the family screaming and running downstairs. The next thing I knew someone was banging on my front door. The man had got the children out and the ambulance was here.”

Police and fire investigators are looking into the incident but there are not thought to be any suspicious circumstances.