A man suffered burns while rescuing four dogs and two cats from a house fire in Wouldham.

It is believed one of the pets pulled a curtain down on to a Calor gas heater at his home in the High Street this morning.

When firefighters arrived at about 7am, the middle-aged man had managed to get out.

He was treated by paramedics for burns to his hands and head.

Crew manager Ben Fletcher, from Medway fire station, said: “He luckily managed to catch it in time and it was contained to the living room.

"While he had smoke alarms upstairs, he did not have any downstairs. We would remind people to ensure that all of their rooms have fitted detectors.”

None of the animals were harmed.