by Jenni Horn

Eight people have been left homeless after a fire destroyed their homes.

Firefighters were called to The Close in Rochester at 12.30am on Saturday.

A veranda at the back of two semi-detached houses in the street had caught alight. The wooden structure stretched across the back of both properties and was built on four floors.

More than 40 firefighters spent four hours tackling the blaze.

Watch manager for Strood, Marc Rosier, said: “The fire was well alight when we arrived. The whole of the veranda was alight and the fire was pushing through the patio doors and windows into the houses.

“The occupants of one of the homes, a family of five, were out when we arrived, but we were unsure if there was still anyone else in the other property. “Two adults were out safe but they were unsure if there was still another man inside, so we had to send several officers in wearing breathing apparatus to search all the rooms.”

No-one was found trapped inside the building. One person was taken to hospital to be treated for smoke inhalation.

Five crews remained on the scene until 4am. A further crew stayed until 5.30am dampening down the flames.

Watch manager Rosier added: “Everyone worked really hard to stop the fire from spreading too far into the buildings. But both houses are now uninhabitable due to smoke and water damage. A couple of the rooms are severely damaged by fire. We did mange to salvage most of the occupants’ furniture by removing it.”

The cause of the fire is unknown at this stage. Fire investigation officers are due to visit the scene today.