by Sam Lennon

A block of flats had to be evacuated after a huge fire at a bin shed reached it.

Flames roared against windows at the flats in Dunlop Close, Temple Hill, Dartford, and broke four of them.

Firefighters had to use a turntable ladder to check nobody was still trapped in the top floor.

Dartford crew manager Bob Chilmaid said: “We had got about 20 calls from members of the public about the fire and we could see it from the top of Temple Hill.

“When we got there it was going like the clappers.

“We had two fire crews there first but it was so serious we had to call in more.”

Crews were called at out 1.15am on Sunday when the 3x4m wooden bin shed caught light.

It totally destroyed the shed and spread to a car in the nearby car park.

It also reached and broke four bathroom and kitchen windows in the block, two on the ground floor and two on the first.

Fire crews used a turntable ladder to reach a top floor flat to make sure nobody was trapped inside but all residents had got out in time.

Mr Chilmaid said: “The fire was so intense that we were also concerned that it had got under the eaves of the roof but we checked and there were no hotspots there.”

Two fire pumps from Dartford were first called out but a third, from Thameside, was also needed plus a turntable ladder from Medway.

Crews were at the scene for an hour and a half.

Firefighters say they do not know whether the blaze was started deliberately or whether it was accidentally caused by a discarded cigarette first setting a bin bag alight.

Police are investigating.