A FIRE which savaged an historic building at the weekend is believed to have been started by a tramp trying to keep warm.

The flames ripped through the 19th Century four-storey Gravesend building during the early hours of Saturday morning - and trapped one man in his smoke-filled flat.

Crews from Thameside, Dartford and Strood were called to the blaze, which started behind the World Stores antiques and collectables shop in the High Street.

Fire engines arrived at around 5.45am and found a small blaze at the back of the building near the Gravesend Medical Centre.

It was believed to have started when a man who was sleeping rough in the building lit a fire to keep warm.

This spread and destroyed a flight of stairs and a big proportion of the shop ceiling before breaking out on the first floor.

A spokesman for Kent Fire and Rescue said crews entered the building through the basement and went to the first floor.

Fortunately, the flats above the World Stores were empty. However, next door neighbour Dave Hall was rescued by fire fighters from his top floor flat after thick, black smoke filled the building.

The 45-year-old was heard calling for help from his living room window before climbing out on to the window sill. He was taken down a 13.5 metre ladder and given oxygen in an ambulance at the scene.

Eye witness Alex Deakin watched the drama unfold from his flat across the street.

He said: "We were laying in bed when we heard the fire brigade kicking in a door. I looked out the window and saw smoke billowing out of the top of the building."

This fire was the latest in a string of blazes to hit the High Street, which has seen four in the past four years.