A house was completely destroyed and two pensioners taken to hospital after a bonfire got out of control.

The blaze originally started in the back garden of a bungalow in The Crescent in Boughton under Blean near Faversham on Wednesday evening.

An elderly couple noticed the flames in the neighbouring garden and that a tree had also caught fire.

Fearing it would spread to their summer house, which was a golden wedding anniversary present to each other, the couple tried to tackle the flames themselves.

But they ended up suffering smoke inhalation and needed to be given oxygen therapy at the scene by firefighters before being taken to hospital.The flames spread to the bungalow, which was not being lived in, ripping through the property and causing the roof to collapse.

The flames spread to the bungalow, which was unoccupied, ripping through the property and causing the roof to collapse.

Firefighters from Faversham, Canterbury and Dover battled for almost two hours to bring the fire under control.

Faversham crew manager Wayne Burney said: "An unattended bonfire in the garden of a property in The Crescent spread to a large area of undergrowth and outbuildings before setting a bungalow alight in the same garden as well as causing damage to the neighbours sheds, fence and shrubbery.

"Smoke was pouring out from under the roof tiles, so crews wearing breathing apparatus went into the property to try to tackle the fire using hose reel jets and a hydrant.

"Due to the severity of the fire, the crews were withdrawn and continued to fight the fire externally with compressed air foam, before the roof collapsed.

"Bonfires should never be left unattended, especially at this time of year with conditions being so dry.

"If your bonfire gets out control, never try to tackle it yourself, always call the fire and rescue service who are trained to deal with it.

"These fires have the potential to spread very quickly, posing a threat to people, wildlife and buildings. "We want to encourage people to take care and think about what they’re doing."

Firefighters will be issuing safety information to residents living nearby.