A MOTHER and her seven-year-old son were rescued from a fire in their house after they were alerted to the blaze by a smoke alarm.

Fire crews used a ladder to rescue them from a bedroom window, after the fire broke out as they were sleeping.

The fire started in the kitchen at about 6am on Saturday, at the home in Darnley Road, Strood. The mother, who has not been named, awoke to hear her smoke alarm had been activated and that she and her son were trapped upstairs.

She grabbed her son from his bedroom and dialled 999. She remained on the phone to emergency operators and stayed in her bedroom while crews from Strood and Thameside were deployed to the address.

Rescuers were able to lead the pair down a ladder from their bedroom while other crew members entered the house wearing breathing apparatus and put out the flames in the kitchen.

Later their rescuers revealed that a smoke alarm had saved their lives. The mother and the son were given oxygen at the scene but neither sustained any injuries. Both the smoke alarms which alerted her to the fire were fitted by Strood firefighters during a Home Fire Safety Check.

After the fire, crews visited every home in the immediate vicinity of the property, to offer more checks to residents. Homes with no smoke alarms were offered the chance to have 10-year smoke alarms fitted free of charge at a later date.

Divisional officer Martin Adams said: "Once again this is an incident that could have so easily ended in tragedy had it not been for those smoke alarms.

"We cannot reiterate enough that these small devices have the potential, as shown by this incident, to save your life.

"All you need to do is make sure they are fitted, tested and maintained regularly. This is very simple but indispensable advice."