Three children were rescued and two men taken to hospital after a blaze broke out in a house.

Firefighters were called to the house fire in St Vincent's Road in Dartford at around 6.35pm last night, and three fire engines were immediately sent.

A man had already been alerted to a the blaze by smoke alarms, and he was able to get three children to safety - into the care of a neighbour - before attempting to tackle the fire himself using water and an extinguisher.

Fire crews arrived to find smoke billowing out of the property and went into the house wearing breathing apparatus.

The used a covering jet and a special fan to tackle the fire, which was located at the top of the stairs on the landing.

Crews then worked to clear smoke and fumes from the house after extinguishing the blaze.

A Kent Fire and Rescue Service Volunteer Response Team and a Red Cross vehicle were also requested to provide practical support for the family, who also received precautionary checks from firefighters.

Two men were taken to hospital for precautionary checks.

KFRS said the fire damaged the upstairs landing but that firefighters stopped it spreading further.

There was also substantial smoke damage to both floors of the house.