Fire broke at the Life Church in Maidstone last night

Firefighters tackled a blaze in a Maidstone church roof last night.

The fire broke out in the two-storey Brewer Street building - used by the Life Church - at about 9.45pm.

About six people were evacuated from the venue as two crews from Maidstone station used breathing apparatus to enter the building and extinguish the flames.

About 30 staff and customers at next-door Maidstone Social Club were also ordered to leave.

Janis Russell, 58, a steward at the club, said she was alerted to the fire when two customers saw smoke coming from a flat roof at the back of the church.

She said: "I heard someone say, 'Oh, my word something's going on nextdoor'.

"Then a woman inside the church was heard saying she had to phone for the fire brigade."

Police put a 200-yard cordon around the building as crews tackled the fire, which was fully extinguished by about 11.10pm.

No one was injured in the blaze, which was thought to have been started accidentally.

A Kent Fire and Rescue spokesman confirmed there was minimal damage to the building.