A FATHER and his son escaped serious injury early today after a fire broke out at their terraced home in Gillingham.

The boy was rescued by firefighters who pulled him through an upstairs bedroom window after the blaze had started on the ground floor of the property in East Street.

The child's father had managed to escape unassisted by the time firefighters arrived on the scene shortly after 2.40am.

A spokesman for the Kent Fire and Rescue Service said: "Retained firefighters from Gillingham, Chatham and Rainham stations dealt with the blaze and rescued the child. He was brought out via an upstairs window and helped to safety by ladder.

The pair were taken to hospital by ambulance. The blaze took about an hour to bring under control and the ground floor of the property was severely damaged."

A spokesman for Medway Ambulance Station, said: "A crew from Medway took a 46-year-old man and his son to Medway Maritime Hospital. The pair were suffering from smoke inhalation."

The father and son are said to be recovering in hospital and in a "stable" condition.