A family of five had to flee their home in the middle of the night after their dishwasher caught fire.

Three children and two adults living in a two storey house in Ranters Lane, Goudhurst, were alerted by their fire alarm at 12.35am today.

The family managed to escape safely, with their two dogs, and called 999.

There are no reports of any injuries but the dishwasher was destroyed and some of the kitchen units were damaged.

Kent Fire and Rescue Service sent two fire engines to the scene, with crews dispatched from Cranbrook and Tunbridge Wells.

Cranbrook watch manager Andy Parks said: “This family did all the right things, they had working smoke alarms in their home, which gave them the valuable time needed to escape.

“They closed the doors on the fire as they left their home, which limited the fire spread and damage to their kitchen and they phoned the fire service to deal with the blaze, rather than attempting to tackle it themselves.”

Once the fire was out crews used a special fan to clear the smoke and fumes from the property and used a thermal imaging camera to check for hotspots.

They also provided fire safety advice to the family before leaving the scene at around 2am.