Firefighters are reminding Islanders about the importance of smoke alarms, after a man was alerted to a fire in his kitchen by one.

At 1.20am on Thursday, two crews from Sheppey responded to an alarm in Scarborough Drive, Minster.

When they arrived, they found a smoke filled kitchen.

The cause of the fire is believed to be a fault in the boiler, and the heat from it had set fire to a wall cupboard.

They dealt with the fire quickly and removed the cupboard from the wall and no one was hurt.

Watch manager Andy Bridger-Smart said: “Because the gentleman had a smoke alarm he was alerted immediately and there was minimal damage.

“This serves as a reminder that people should check their smoke alarms are working and if they find they are not, or if they haven’t got one, phone Kent Fire and Rescue on 0800 9237000 to book an appointment for a free home fire safety check.

“He was lucky – if he hadn’t had a working alarm and hadn’t been alerted, it would have spread very quickly.”