A family escaped with their lives but their home was badly damaged when their house was struck by lightning.

A bolt hit the roof of the property in Vale Road, Northfleet, at 8pm on Saturday night.

The first fire engine on the scene was flagged down as it drove past on its way back from another job.

Crews spent six-and-a-half hours fighting the blaze, which gutted the roof. Water and smoke damaged much of the property.

Many of the family’s possessions are now piled up outside, ruined by smoke and water.

The homeowner, who asked not to be named, lives there with his wife and teenage son.

He said repairs are likely to take up to six months.

He told the Gravesend Messenger: “I was asleep in the chair when it happened but I woke up fairly quickly when it struck.

"Apparently there was a huge orange spark when it hit; they saw it over at the police station.

“One of my neighbours flagged the fire engine down, which was going past because it had been at another job where a fence caught light but the people had put it out with a garden hose.

"It would have been all over if they hadn’t been there.”

He added: “My boy is 17 and some of the stuff I’ve been finding on the floor is from when he was a nipper. When you start seeing little trainers lying around, well, it really brings it home to you. It was really close.

“The damage is extensive and the whole place is going to need repairing and redecorating. I don’t think I’ve got one electrical thing in the house that works any more."

“The firefighters were absolutely fantastic. I told them I had a disk drive in there with all the family photos and they went back inside to get it; they were just fantastic and I’ve got nothing but admiration for them. I can’t thank them enough for what they did.”

From the outside, the house looks virtually untouched but inside it is a different story.

Wet carpets, peeling wallpaper, water stains down the walls and scorch marks around electrical sockets tell the sorry story of Saturday night’s drama, while a burnt electric smell hangs in the air.

The family initially stayed with friends and are now in a hotel, but they will find somewhere to rent until the house is habitable.

A spokesman for Kent Fire and Rescue said 12 firefighters wearing breathing apparatus tackled the flames, using specialist equipment.

He said: “It was a very intensive fire in the loft, which was difficult to gain access to.

“We managed to contain the fire to the loft area and only a dozen tiles in the roof were damaged. We also prevented damage to the house next door.

“The firefighters were under a lot of strain in the conditions.

"It was very humid outside. Damage was confined to water damage downstairs and we saved as much of the family’s property as we could.”

Fire crews returned at 6am to ensure nothing remained burning.