A teenager says his family home could have exploded when a fire broke out on a portable stove just yards from a gas bottle.

Manveer Aujla, 18, of Wellington Street, Gravesend, said he was told by firefighters that they were “lucky” the canister was not engulfed by flames.

If the gas bottle had caught alight, Mr Aujla fears it could have caused an explosion affecting up to four houses in the road.

Fire crews from Thames-side and Strood arrived at the terraced house just after 3pm on Sunday to reports of a kitchen alight.

The blaze began when Mr Aujla’s grandmother Debo, 74, left chips cooking on a stove in the extension.

Despite turning her back for less than a minute, she returned to find a wall of flames which had quickly spread to the rest of the extension.

Mr Aujla said: “I phoned the firefighters and got everyone out the house as soon as possible.

“Our grandmother was cooking chips in the back extension she left it for maybe 30 or 40 seconds. When she came back it was up in flames.

“She was a bit shocked and I was as well. We were very lucky because there was a gas bottle very close by.

“If that had exploded then our house could have gone up and as many as four with it.

“The firefighters said we were very lucky. It’s very scary; my grandmother only took her eye off it for a moment.”

Crews worked on the kitchen for almost an hour and the Thames-side crew remained to carry out further checks.

The extension suffered smoke damage but the rest of the property was unaffected.

“If that (gas bottle) had exploded then our house could have gone up and as many as four with it" - Manveer Aujla

Thames-side watch manager Danny Turner said: “Following a call-out to a fire at a house in Wellington Street involving a portable camping stove, fire crews offered the occupiers home fire safety advice.

“We recommended that the occupiers dispose of the damaged camping stove and advised them against using such appliances indoors.

“As well as the fire risk, using these indoors can cause carbon monoxide poisoning.

“To avoid hazardous exposures, fuel-burning equipment such as camping stoves should never be used indoors.”

For information on advice and services provided by Kent Fire and Rescue Service call 0800 923 7000.