by Tricia Jamieson

Six people escaped from a house fire in Ashford on New Year's Day evening.

The blaze in Birling Road, Willesborough, broke out in a conservatory at the rear of the terraced property around 10pm.

The six occupants had all got out safely by the time fire crews arrived but one man needed hospital treatment for burns.

Watch manager Jim Smart, from blue watch at Ashford fire station, said one person had helped contain the flames by shutting the conservatory doors before escaping.

Firefighters had to go through the house to tackle the fire which they managed to stop from spreading to the rest of the house and neighbouring properties.

The conservatory was destroyed.

The cause of the fire is still being investigated but is thought to be an electrical fault.