AN INVESTIGATION is under way after fire damaged historic Bleak House at Broadstairs, the former seaside home of Victorian novelist Charles Dickens.

Fire crews from across east Kent tackled the blaze on Sunday night at the turreted fortess - formerly known as Fort House - that overlooks Viking Bay.

Fire broke out shortly before 9.30pm at the landmark building and six pumps were sent from Thanet, Margate, Ramsgate, Sandwich and Herne Bay startions plus a command support unit from Canterbury and an incident support unit from Strood.

Flames could be seen against the night sky from around the town and across the bay.

A fire spokesman said on Monday at the time of going to press: "The actual cause is uncertain, but is not thought to be suspicious."

Crews fought the blaze using four breathing apparatus sets, three jets and one hose reel supported by a hydrant. Breathing apparatus crews accessed the premises from the roof and a rear entrance.

The fire and rescue service say that damage was restricted to a first floor bedroom and a snooker room in the family quarters. Fire crews salvaged furniture, pictures and other items from the snooker room.

The famous Charles Dickens Museum in the building was not affected by heat, smoke or flames, and no-one was injured in the incident.

Thanet jeweller Richard Hilton and his family - who bought Bleak House last year as a home - were not in the building at the time of the fire. They stayed with friends in the area on Sunday night and were said to be shocked at the blaze.

The property is where Dickens wrote David Copperfield and where he played with his children in the large garden.

It had been a tourist attraction for decades but its popularity has dwindled in recent years.

The building had deteriorated, with water seeping through the brickwork and ornate ceiling paper peeling from the damp plaster.

At the time of buying the property, Mr Hilton spoke of an ambitious project to restore the imposing structure - a task he described as "a labour of love."

The cellar housed a smugglers exhibition telling how the networks of caves and tunnels under the town were used to illegally import contraband.

The Hiltons also planned to revitalise the museum to make it a showpiece of local history.

Charles Dickens lived at the house from 1851 until he died in 1870. Fort House was not renamed until the turn of the centurt - it is where the novelist sat in his study overlooking the harbour and wrote most of David Copperfield and much of the outline of Bleak House.

The house was once owned by Mary Strong upon whom Dickens based the character of Betsey Trotwood.