AN 18-year-old had a lucky escape after a tea light caused a blaze in her front room.

The woman had fallen asleep yesterday evening , Sunday , while the small candle remained burning on top of her television.

A spokesman for Thames-side fire crews, who were called to the house in Beresford Road, Northfleet, at about 6pm, said the candle became so hot that it caused anything plastic around it to melt and a fire started.

Luckily, the woman was able to escape but the sitting room was left destroyed and the rest of the house damaged by smoke.

She did not have a smoke alarm.