by Sam Lennon

An entire block of flats was evacuated after a blaze ravaged a home on the top floor.

The fire broke out at 5am on Saturday at Princes Gate, Bayle Street, Folkestone.

The woman occupant had to be taken to hospital suffering smoke inhalation.

Neighbour Emma Batzaka said: “The woman was banging on my door shouting out that there was a fire.

“When I came out of my door there was black smoke coming out of that flat.

“We all got out but in the panic I had left my own door open and the smoke came into my home.

“When I was outside I could see it pouring out of my window.

“The firemen had told me I shouldn’t have left my door open but at the time all I could think of was getting out.

“The people on our floor were the last ones to be let back in and we were outside for a couple of hours.”

Miss Batzaka’s flat ended up with smoke damage.

But firefighters say that the kitchen/diner of the flat where the blaze began was severely damaged and the rest of it badly damaged by heat and smoke.

Three fire engines, one from Folkestone and two from Dover, were called to the scene.

Fire crews used hosereels and jets and wore breathing apparatus to tackle the flames.

They remained at the scene for more than four hours, damping down, making the property safe and investigating the cause.

Crews believe the fire might have stemmed from unattended cooking, possibly left a few hours earlier on a low heat, so taking time to build up into a full fire.