A family say they are "overwhelmed and thankful" for the outpouring of kindness from the community after their house caught fire.

Fire crews were called to the blaze in Buck Street, Challock just after 4pm, yesterday.

Three fire engines and a height vehicle attended, and crews wearing breathing apparatus used hose reel jets to tackle the flames in the roof.

Sam Driscoll says they have been living in the property for 12 years.

The 32-year-old had finished work and stopped off in Tesco, around 10 minutes from home.

Her mother, Tracy, was alone in the home at the time with their six dogs.

Sam then received a frantic call from her dad and was told the house was on fire.

She said: “I dropped everything, ran back to my car and drove home.

“When I got there, my mum was on the driveway with our neighbours and four of the dogs.

“There was definitely still one inside."

Rescue pup, Betty – who is just over a year old – was trapped in the property.

“This one fireman – who was absolutely amazing – knew I wouldn’t listen, so he came in with me," Sam recalled.

“It was a shock when I entered, I didn’t realise the extent of the fire.

“I was looking for her and the room was full of smoke – she barked out to me from the back room.

“As I was carrying her out, the ceiling collapsed and Betty bolted as I was running outside.

After Sam’s sister posted an appeal on a local Facebook group, villagers came together to help search for the two missing pups.

The community walked with torches through the nearby woods and streets for several hours.

'We want everyone to know how thankful we are...'

Sam added: “I just can’t get over the support from the people in the area. It’s so overwhelming and I never expected it.

"Our neighbours Louise and Kirk looked after our dogs, let us stay warm in their house and dealt with the aftermath and paperwork.

"They kept bringing us cups of tea and chocolates.

"The fire crew also were amazing, so genuinely caring and brave doing that job every day.

“We want everyone to know how thankful we are."

Sam said both dogs were found during the evening – with one seen making her way back from the woods and the other discovered standing at the front door of their home after the fire support crew had left.

Nicky Hill, from Ashford, was one of the first on the scene, and initially noticed the flames when driving along the road.

“I was on the way back from picking up my step-son,” he explained

“There is a set of woods beside the property and I saw through the trees that there was a fire.

“As I got closer to it, I realised it was the house on fire – I stopped my car in the middle of the road, jumped out and ran to the front door.”

The 32-year-old says it was “right place, right time” and was in and out of the property in under two minutes.

He said: “A lady was in the front room and I dragged her outside. She was in a state of shock.

“I also got a couple of dogs out, then somebody else pulled up and started to help.

“We had to give up as the roof above us was severely on fire.

“The flames were around 6 or 7ft,” he added. “It was horrific.

'We had to give up as the roof above us was severely on fire...'

“It’s the worst I’ve seen, and spread really quick.

“The lady just wanted her dogs to be safe – I hope she is alright.”

Sam's 57-year-old mum, Tracy, has now recovered and is coping okay.

By 8.35pm, the fire was out and the area was clear for traffic.

Kent Fire and Rescue Service said there were no reported injuries and the cause of the fire is not yet known.